Wireless network device

ABSTRACT

Various wireless network components offer increased flexibility, ease of use, functionality and performance in many demanding applications in diverse fields of use. In particular, a wireless multi-function network device for use on a wireless communication network can serve multiple functions and dynamically switch and reconfigure from a network router into a network coordinator in the event that the originally designated network coordinator is permanently or temporally disabled.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIORITY APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/319,905 for a Wireless Dual-Function Network DeviceDynamically Switching and Reconfiguring from a Wireless Network RouterState of Operation into a Wireless Network Coordinator State ofOperation in a Wireless Communication Network, filed Jan. 13, 2009 (andpublished Jul. 15, 2010 as U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2010/0177660), now U.S. Pat. No. 8,457,013. Each of the foregoing patentapplication, patent publication, and patent is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to wireless mesh-type communicationnetworks for use in the automation, control, security and othersapplications.

2. Brief Description of the State of the Art

The use of wireless mesh-type communication networks is quickly growingin the automation, control, security and other industries. One reasonfor this growth is that wireless communication networks can be installedrelatively quickly and inexpensively, without the need to run hard wiresand cables for data signal transmission and control.

Currently, a number of different wireless communication network designs,based on the IEEE 802.15.4 networking protocol, have been developed anddeployed for managing groups of wireless network devices. Such examplesinclude networks based on the ZigBee® wireless networking protocol bythe ZigBee Alliance, for managing wireless electronic-ink displaydevices, sensor devices and controllers; and the Ambient SystemsWireless Network employing intelligent (Product Series 300) networkdevice components and wireless mesh networks, for tracking andmonitoring active RFID and wireless sensor devices, by Ambient Systems;and Honeywell's OneWireless universal mesh network supporting multipleindustrial protocols and applications simultaneously.

While the above wireless networks are implemented using different typesof network components that meet the current needs of a number ofindustrial applications, there is still a great need in the art forimprovements in wireless network components that offer increasedflexibility, ease of use, functionality and performance in manydemanding applications in diverse fields of use.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide awireless multi-function network device for use on a wirelesscommunication network, that can serve multiple functions and dynamicallyswitch and reconfigure from a network router into a network coordinatorin the event that the originally designated network coordinator ispermanently or temporally disabled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wirelessmesh-type communication network, including a plurality of wirelessnetwork router devices, each capable of performing the functions of anetwork controller/coordinator; wherein the plurality of wirelessnetwork routers dynamically assign the network coordinator role to onewireless network router, while the other wireless network routersperform the role of wireless network routers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless networkrouter device for use on a wireless communication network, and employingan integrated phased-array antenna structure, supporting the spatialisolation of multi-regions, and utilizing beam steering principles ofoperation, for illuminating multiple wireless network end-devices overseparate regions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a network gatewaydevice that supports a USB-type communication interface and RF-basedwireless communication interface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a network protocoltranslation (NPT) based gateway device for use in a wirelesscommunication network, wherein network protocol translation servicesinclude translating from ZigBee to Ethernet communication protocols, andtranslating from Ethernet to ZigBee communication protocols.

A wireless network coordinator device for automatically establishing aPersonal Area Network (PAN) on a wireless communication network, andhaving a compact housing with an electrical wall plug integrated thereinhaving electrical prongs for plugging into a standard electrical wallsocket

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparenthereinafter and in the Claims to Invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of how to practice the Objects of thePresent Invention, the following detailed description of theillustrative embodiments can be read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, briefly described below.

FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2, taken together, provide a schematic representation ofa first illustrative embodiment of the wireless communication network ofthe present invention for remotely and locally programming andmonitoring a plurality of network devices, including electronic-inkbased display devices and e-display servers, deployed in a workenvironment, using the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networking protocol;

FIG. 1B is a schematic representation of a first illustrative embodimentof the wireless communication network of the present invention, asillustrated in FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2, showing only the back-end system beingwirelessly interfaced with the plurality of RFID readers, electronic-inkdisplay devices and wireless/mobile PDA and terminals using (i) agateway device supporting USB to ZigBee communication protocoltranslation, (ii) a network coordinator (i.e. network controller), (iii)one or more routers, and (iv) a plurality of gateway devices, eachsupporting network communication protocol translation;

FIG. 1C is a schematic representation of a first illustrative embodimentof the wireless communication network of the present invention, asillustrated in FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2, showing the remote PC-level networkmanagement system being wirelessly interfaced with a local PC-levelnetwork management system employing network communication protocoltranslation capabilities, for communicating with a plurality ofelectronic-ink display devices, cash registers, wireless/mobileterminals, bar code readers and digital imagers using (i) a gatewaydevice supporting USB to ZigBee communication protocol translation, (ii)a network coordinator (i.e. network controller), and (iii) one or morewireless network router devices;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a generalized embodiment of thewireless communication network of the present invention, graphicallyillustrating (i) the parent/child relationship of each node in thewireless network, and (ii) the capacity of the multi-mode routers in thewireless network of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 8H and 8I,designed to also function as the wireless network coordinator in theevent the assigned network coordinator fails or otherwise loosescommunication with the wireless network;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation, in the form of a stacked blockdiagram, illustrating the different layers associated with the IEEE802.15.4 wireless networking protocol employed in the wirelesscommunication network of the present invention, schematicallyrepresented in accordance with the Open Standards Interconnect (OSI)model, showing the Application (APL) Layer, the Network (NWK) Layer, theMedium Access Control (MAC) Layer, and the Physical (PHY) Layer of theOSI Model;

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of the packet structure associatedwith the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless network layer protocol, employed in theillustrative embodiments of the wireless communication network of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5A is a schematic representation of a wireless electronic-ink baseddisplay device of the present invention having IEEE 802.15.4 wirelessnetworking capabilities, and shown comprising an addressableelectronic-ink based display module (e.g. employing a TFT-drivenbackplane structure) packaged within weather-sealed, thermally-insulatedand heat-dissipative enclose/packaging in accordance with the principlesof the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a schematic representation of a wireless electronic-ink baseddisplay device of the present invention provided with RFID-basedwireless communication/programming capabilities, and shown comprising anaddressable electronic-ink based display module (e.g. employing aTFT-driven backplane structure) packaged within weather-sealed,thermally-insulated and heat-dissipative enclose/packaging in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional schematic representation of the wirelesselectronic-based display device of the present invention, depicted inFIGS. 5A and 5B, and showing its stacked display architecture inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a state diagram representation of the wirelesselectronic-based display device of the present invention, depicted inFIGS. 5A and 5B, showing the various states of operation through whichthe wireless display device passes in automatic response to eventsoccurring on its network;

FIG. 5E is a flow chart illustrating the process carried out by the IEEE802.15.4 firmware contained in each wireless electronic-ink displaydevice in the wireless network of FIGS. 1A and 1C;

FIG. 5F is a flow chart schematic representation of the electronic-inkdisplay device described in FIG. 5E, illustrating the firmwarecomponents employed to carry out processes supported therein;

FIG. 6A is a schematic representation of a wireless electronic-ink baseddisplay device of the present invention for displaying graphicalmessages in diverse outdoor environments, as well fire safetyinstructions in building environments;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional schematic representation of the wirelesselectronic-ink based display device of the present invention, depictedin FIG. 6A, and showing its stacked display structure;

FIG. 6C is a state diagram representation of the wireless electronic-inkbased display device of the present invention, depicted in FIGS. 6A and6B, showing the various states of operation through which the wirelessdisplay device passes in automatic response to events occurring on itswireless network;

FIG. 6D is a flow chart illustrating the process carried out by the IEEE802.15.4 firmware contained in each wireless electronic-ink displaydevice in the network of FIGS. 6A through 6C;

FIG. 6E is a flow chart schematic representation of the wirelesselectronic-ink display device described in FIG. 6A, illustrating thefirmware components employed to carry out processes supported therein;

FIG. 7A1 is a front perspective view of a wireless network coordinatordevice of the present invention, having an electrical wall plug formfactor;

FIG. 7A2 is a top view of the wireless network coordinator device ofFIG. 7A1, having an electrical wall plug form factor;

FIG. 7B is a schematic representation of the wireless wall-plug typenetwork coordinator device illustrated in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a schematic representation of the wireless networkcoordinator of the present invention that may have an standalone moduleform factor, with an external wall source 120 VAC-12 VDC power adapter;

FIG. 7D is a state diagram representation of the wireless networkcoordinator device of the present invention, depicted in FIGS. 7B and7C, showing the various states of operation through which the networkcoordinator device passes in automatic response to events occurring onits network;

FIG. 7E is a flow chart illustrating the process carried out by the IEEE802.15.4 firmware contained in the wireless coordinator device in thenetwork of FIGS. 6A and 6C;

FIG. 7F is a schematic representation of a MAC Address Look-UP Tablestored in a wireless coordinator device of the present invention,supporting the IEEE 802.15.4 network layer protocol;

FIG. 7G is a flow chart schematic representation of the wirelesselectronic-ink display device described in FIG. 6D, illustrating thefirmware components employed to carry out processes supported therein;

FIG. 8A1 is a front perspective view representation of a wirelessnetwork router device of the present invention having an electrical wallplug form factor;

FIG. 8A2 is a top view of the wireless network router device of FIG. 8A1having an electrical wall plug form factor;

FIG. 8B is a schematic representation of the wireless wall-plug typenetwork router device illustrated in FIG. 8A1;

FIG. 8C is a schematic representation of the wireless network router ofthe present invention which may have a housing with a standalone moduleform factor, and an external wall source 120 VAC-12 VDC power adapter;

FIG. 8D is a schematic representation of a wireless network routerdevice of the present invention having an integrated phased-arrayantenna structure, supporting multi-region isolation, utilizing beamsteering principles of operation, for illuminating multipleelectronic-ink devices over separate regions;

FIG. 8E is a schematic representation of the phased-array antennastructure of FIG. 8D, integrated within the housing of the wirelessnetwork router device of the present invention, and showing the shieldedbus for supplying phased currents to the plurality of antenna arrayelements;

FIG. 8F is a state diagram representation of the wireless network routerdevice of the present invention, depicted in FIGS. 8B and 8E, showingthe various states of operation through which the network router devicepasses in automatic response to events occurring on its network;

FIG. 8G is a flow chart illustrating the process carried out by the IEEE802.15.4 firmware contained in the router device in the network of FIGS.8A1 and 8F;

FIGS. 8H1 and 8H2 set forth a state diagram representation of thewireless network router device of the present invention, depicted inFIGS. 8B and 8E, showing the various states of operation through whichthe network router device passes, during multi-mode operation, inautomatic response to events occurring on its network;

FIG. 8I is a flow chart illustrating the process carried out by thefirmware contained in the wireless multi-mode network router device ofthe present invention shown in FIGS. 8G through 8H2;

FIG. 8J is a flow chart schematic representation of the router devicesdescribed in FIGS. 8G and 8I, illustrating the firmware componentsemployed to carry out processes supported therein;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a wireless gateway set-top box for usein the wireless communication network of the present invention,illustrated in FIGS. 1A1 through 1C;

FIG. 9B is a schematic representation of the wireless gateway set-topbox illustrated in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a state diagram representation of the wireless gatewayset-top box of the present invention, depicted in FIGS. 9A and 7B,showing the various states of operation through which the wirelessnetwork coordinator device passes in automatic response to eventsoccurring on its network;

FIG. 9D is a flow chart schematic representation illustrating the stepscarried out by the firmware within the wireless gateway set-top boxillustrated in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9E is a flow chart schematic representation of the wireless gatewayset-top box illustrated in FIG. 9A, illustrating the firmware componentsemployed to carry out processes supported therein;

FIG. 9F1 is a front perspective view of a wireless network protocoltranslation (NTP) gateway device for use in a wireless communicationnetwork of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C;

FIG. 9F2 is a top view of the wireless network protocol translation(NTP) gateway device of FIG. 9F1;

FIG. 9G is a schematic representation of the wireless network protocoltranslation gateway device illustrated in FIGS. 9F1 and 9F2;

FIG. 10A is a schematic representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) allowing a network administrator to remotely manage, viaa Web browser, the messaging programmed in each wireless electronic-inkdisplay device on the wireless network, along with its sign/displayidentification number, and description, as well as the network map, opencommunication port, end communication port, and the wireless networkdatabase;

FIG. 10B is a schematic representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) allowing a network administrator to remotely manage, viaa Web browser, the tables in the wireless network database, holdinginformation on each network device, including, device number on thewireless network (e.g. 0000002030), device type (e.g. wirelesscoordinator, gateway, router, end device, etc.), MAC address assigned todevice (e.g. 683AB9C90011), description of device/association with otherdevices, currently programmed message for display on the device;

FIG. 10C is a schematic representation of an exemplary graphical userinterface (GUI) that is displayed at the host system, to which thenetwork gateway device is interfaced, showing a network map of a IEEE802.15.4 wireless network configuration, allowing information maintainedon each node in the network (e.g. device number, MAC address, nodedescription, current message display) to be displayed in expanded formwhen the network administrator selects the network node to be detailed;

FIG. 10D is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out when thescan command is sent to the network gateway devices shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9F, node information database is updated, and then the network mapGUI is updated with newly scanned node information;

FIG. 10E is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out when theread command is sent to the network gateway devices shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9F;

FIG. 10F is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out when thewrite command is set to the network gateway devices shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9F;

FIG. 10G is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out when theupdate command is set to the network gateway devices shown in FIGS. 9Aand 9F;

FIG. 10H is a flow chart illustrating the steps carried out when the GUIApplication is run on the host system interfaced with either of thenetwork gateway devices shown in FIGS. 9A and 9F;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a wireless network monitoring andcontrol device for use in a wireless communication network of thepresent invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C;

FIG. 11B is a schematic representation of the wireless networkmonitoring and control device illustrated in FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is flow chart illustrating the steps carried out by thefirmware control process within the wireless network monitoring andcontrol device illustrated in FIG. 11A;

FIG. 12A1 is a front perspective view of a wireless node positiontracking (NPT) module for use in a wireless communication network of thepresent invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C;

FIG. 12A2 is a to view of a wireless node position tracking (NPT) moduleof FIG. 12A1; FIG. 12B is a schematic representation of the wirelessnode position tracking module illustrated in FIGS. 12A1 and 12A2;

FIG. 12C is a state diagram representation of the wireless node positiontracking (NPT) module, depicted in FIGS. 12A1 through 12B, showing thevarious states of operation through which wireless node positiontracking module passes in automatic response to events occurring on itsnetwork; and

FIG. 12D is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the controlprocess in the wireless node position tracking module of FIGS. 12A1through 12C.

FIG. 13A is a schematic representation of a wireless display sensornetwork.

FIG. 13B is a schematic representation of an e-display sensor.

FIG. 13C is a cross-sectional schematic representation of an e-displaysensor showing its stacked display structure.

FIG. 13D is a state diagram representation of a wireless e-displaysensor.

FIG. 13E is a flowchart for a wireless e-display sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENTINVENTION

Referring to the figures in the accompanying Drawings, the variousillustrative embodiments of the wireless communication network andcomponents of the present invention will be described in great detail,wherein like elements will be indicated using like reference numerals.

Overview on the Wireless Communication Networks of the Present Invention

In general, the wireless communication networks of the present inventionrely on a wireless communication infrastructure for managing thepopulation of wireless electronic-ink display devices in any giveninstallation. However, the wireless communication network of the presentinvention is not limited to managing electronic-ink display devices asdisclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/154,427,incorporated herein by reference, and may support wireless sensors,controllers, data capture devices, checkout systems, supply chainsystems and employee support devices such as PDAs with wirelessconnectivity.

Also, the wireless communication network of the present invention willtypically serve as a platform for managing any size population ofelectronic-ink display devices, and other networked end-devices,deployed in either retail, industrial and/or manufacturing spaces. Suchelectronic-ink display devices may include, for example, electronic-inkdisplay tags, display devices, and display labels, as well as pricingsigns for retail environments, assembly instruction displays formanufacturing environments, display signs for educational environments,electronic-ink dinner menus for use in restaurants, and the like.

In the preferred embodiments, the wireless communication network of thepresent invention is designed as a low-power, low data-rate (e.g. 250kilobits/second) wireless network, employing a mesh topology tointerconnect a plurality of wireless devices, wherein each wirelessdevice can access any other wireless device on the network, given properaccess rights and permission. Also, in the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, the wireless electronic-ink display devices may bemounted on the wall, leaned up against a building or housing structure,attached to a mobile vehicle, or passed around the room, and typicallywill include a battery power source and an electromagnetic antennastructure designed for 2-way RF data communication, so as to begenerally free of power cords and electrical wires.

The wireless communication network of the present invention bridges thegap between wireless display networks, wireless sensor networks, and theworlds of passive, active and partially-active RFID and real-timelocating systems (RTLS). The wireless communication network of thepresent invention allows conventional communication network protocols tooperate in more flexible ways in dynamic, diverse, and heterogeneousapplication environments, in the fields including retail, healthcare,transport, logistics, manufacturing, education, etc. At the same time,the wireless communication network of the present invention ispreferably based on the IEEE 802.15.4 network layer standard, whichoffers low-cost wireless network communication between a large number ofwireless network end-devices.

In the wireless communication networks of the present invention, theIEEE 802.15.4 is not a complete network protocol stack, as it onlyprovides the lower level network layers (in the OSI reference model thephysical layer and the medium access layer). And while the ZigBeewireless network communication protocol suite is also based on the IEEE802.15.4 standard, the wireless communication network application of thepresent invention will be implemented upon and share a number offeatures with the ZigBee network communication protocol suite, such astypically operating at the globally available 2.4 GHz bandwidth andprovide a data rate of 250 Kbits/second. However, despite their commonfoundation (i.e. IEEE 802.15.4 standard), wireless communication networkconfigured according to the principles of the present invention has beendesigned for applications more robust and diverse than conventionalZigBee wireless networks, and as a result, the wireless communicationnetwork configured according to the principles of the present inventionprovides a more advanced and complex set of features andfunctionalities, to be described in great detail hereinafter.

For example, other preferred networking technologies such as UHF RFIDcommunication techniques, can be used in combination with the IEEE802.15.4 network protocol, in order to practice various illustrativeembodiments of the wireless communication networks of the presentinvention, which are characterized by flexibility and robustness, whilemasking the underlying operation of the communication network from itsend-users, to reduce the apparent complexity and provide a betterend-user experience.

Designed for large-scale deployment with many potential network nodesarranged over a large region of physical space, wireless communicationnetworks configured according to the principles of the present inventioncan also be equipped with a real-time location system (RTLS)capabilities, which may be implemented using (i) a local GPS system forgenerating GPS reference signals, and a GPS module embedded in eachwireless network device for receiving and processing these GPS referencesignals, and/or (ii) position location module embedded within eachwireless device, implementing a position location algorithm that detectsand analyzes the RSSI of data packet signals transmitted from pairs ofwireless network routers deployed in the wireless communication network,and/or some other similar technology.

The details of such aspects of the present invention will now bedescribed in greater detail hereinafter.

First Illustrative Embodiment of the Wireless Communication Network ofthe Present Invention

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2, a first illustrative embodiment ofthe wireless communication network of the present invention 1 forremotely and/or local programming and monitoring a plurality of wirelessnetwork devices, including a plurality of wireless electronic-ink baseddisplay devices 2A, deployed in diverse environments, using the IEEE802.15.4 wireless network layer protocol. As shown, a remote networkmanagement system 3 is wirelessly interfaced with a local networkmanagement system 4 using, for example, a WAN-LAN communication protocoladapter interface card 23A, 23B and RF antenna 24A, 24B. Also, the localnetwork management system 4, includes a microprocessor and memoryarchitecture, and is wirelessly interfaced with the plurality of networkdevices comprising: a gateway device 5; a network coordinator (i.e.network controller) 6; a plurality of network packet routers 7A through7C; one or more network monitoring devices 8; a GPS location system 9: anode position tracking (NPT) module 10; a plurality of RFID readers 11each having an integrated network communication protocol adapter 12; aplurality of wireless electronic-ink based display devices (e.g. labels,signs, tags, displays, etc) 2A through 2D as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C,each with an integrated network communication protocol adapter 12 and aGPS module 13; a plurality of (partially-passive) wirelesselectronic-ink displays with RFID chips 14 as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C;a plurality of cash registers 15 each with a network adapter 12; aplurality of scanners 16 each with a network adapter 12; a plurality ofdigital imagers 17 each with a network communication protocol adapter12; and a plurality of wireless/mobile PDA and terminals 18 each beingprovided with a network adapter 12; Each of these network componentswill be described in greater detail hereinafter.

In the illustrative embodiment, the network adapter/interface card 23Band the network communication hub 20B in the local network managementcomputer system 4 are coupled to a first communication medium (e.g. Cat5cable), and support a wired communication interface (e.g. serial port).The local network management computer system 4 has a microprocessor,with a memory architecture, arranged in communication with the wiredcommunication interface (e.g. serial port) coupled to the communicationmedium (e.g. Cat5 cable), and supporting the transmission and receptionof data packets over the wireless communication network so as to allow ahuman operator (or programmed machine) to program messages to bedisplayed on wireless electronic-ink based display devices, operablyconnected to the wireless communication network. The function of networkadapter/interface card 23B is to support a WAN wireless communicationinterface (e.g. RF antenna) matched to the WAN wireless communicationinterface (e.g. RF antenna) that is supported by the networkadapter/interface card 23A, and support the transmission and receptionof data packets between the remote and network management computersystems 21A and 21B, respectively.

The network adapter/interface card 23A and network communication hub 20Ain the remote network management computer system 3 are coupled to acommunication medium (e.g. Cat5 cable) and support a wired communicationinterface (e.g. serial port). The remote network management computersystem 3 also allows a human operator (or programmed machine) to programmessages to be displayed on the plurality of wireless electronic-inkbased display devices, operably connected to the wireless communicationnetwork. The function of network adapter/interface card 23A is tosupport a WAN wireless communication interface (e.g. RF antenna) matchedto the WAN wireless communication interface (e.g. RF antenna) that issupported by the network adapter/interface card 23B, and supports thetransmission and reception of data packets between the remote andnetwork management computer systems 21A and 21B, respectively.

The microprocessor in the remote network management computer system 21Ais capable of (i) receiving and transmitting data packets over thewireless free-space communication medium (between the RF antennas 24A,25B of network interface adapters 23A, 23B respectively) to themicroprocessor in the local network management computer system 4, usingthe WAN wireless communication interface and the set of WAN wirelesscommunication protocols (e.g. IP protocol associated with GPRS, CDMA(2G) and 3G wireless data communication technologies).

The function of network gateway device 5 is to supports a wiredcommunication interface (e.g. serial port) and is coupled to a wiredcommunication medium (e.g. Cat5 cable) through a wired communicationinterface (e.g. USB, serial). Network gateway 5 is also capable ofreceiving and transmitting data packets over wired communication mediumand communicating with the local network management computer system 4using the wired communication interface and the set of communicationprotocols (e.g. USB, including the IP). The network gateway device 5also supports a wireless communication interface (e.g. RF antenna) andis capable of transmitting and receiving data packets over a wirelessfree-space communication medium using the wireless communicationinterface (e.g. RF antenna) and a set of wireless communicationprotocols (e.g. IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee or custom suite).

The function of each wireless network router 7A is to support a wirelesscommunication interface (e.g. the RF antenna) interfaced with wirelessfree-space communication medium using the wireless communicationinterface and set of wireless communication protocols (e.g. IEEE802.15.4, ZigBee or custom suite), and to receive and transmit datapackets over the wireless free-space communication medium.

Each network-managed device (e.g. wireless electronic-ink based displaydevice) has a programmed processor, with memory, and a network adaptersupporting the wireless communication interface (e.g. RF antenna) andreceiving and transmitting data packets over the wireless free-spacecommunication medium using the wireless communication interface and theset of wireless communication protocols (e.g. IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee orcustom suite). Some network-managed devices, including an externalinterface adapter, will also support a wired communication interface(e.g. serial port) and capable of transmitting and receiving datapackets over a wired communication medium (e.g. cable) using a wiredcommunication interface and a set of communication protocols (e.g. USB,RS232, including the Internet Protocol IP), so that the data packets canbe accessed and used by programmed processor in each network-managedend-device.

The function of the network coordinator/controller 6 is to support thewireless communication interface of its network (e.g. RF antenna) andtransmission and reception of data packets over the wireless free-spacecommunication medium using the wireless communication interface and theset of wireless network communication protocols (e.g. IEEE 802.15.4,ZigBee or custom communication protocol suite). The network controlleralso establishes and maintains a wireless interconnected mesh of thewireless network routers, according to the wireless network layerprotocol, and interconnecting the plurality of wireless electronic-inkdisplay devices and other network-managed end-devices on the wirelesscommunication network.

In FIG. 1B, the local network management subsystem portion 4 of thewireless communication network of FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2 is shown comprisingone or more wireless/mobile PDA and terminals 18, and a wirelesssubnetwork gateway 5B providing a communication interface to a pluralityof UHF RFID readers 11, and electronic-ink display devices 12. As shown,the back-end network 4 comprises a hub network 20B, a host PC-levelcomputer system 21B for network management, and an application anddatabase server 22B, each operable connected to the infrastructure ofthe Internet.

Any third-party local or remote computing system 21A, 21B can beintegrated with the wireless electronic-ink display signage network ofFIGS. 1A1 and 1A2, and configured in a manner described below, to managemessages displayed on particular electronic-ink display devices deployedon the wireless communication network.

In the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the computersystem 21A in the remote network management system 3, and/or thecomputer system 21A in the local back-end network management system 4,can be used to manage messages displayed on particular electronic-inkdisplay devices deployed on the wireless communication network of FIGS.1A1 and 1A2. Such local/remote message management capabilities areachieved by:

(i) installing a GPRS/CDMA/3G interface card 23A, 23B into the networkmanagement computer system 3, 4 respectively;

(ii) installing an electronic-ink display messaging managementapplication 700 on the host PC network management computer systems 21Aand 21B; and

(iii) optionally installing RDBMS software on the middleware/databaseserver 22A, 22B, respectively, in the event that the application 700 isnot provided with sufficient onboard database capabilities, or in theevent that network database capabilities are required or preferred forthe application at hand.

Each GPRS/CDMA/3G interface card 23A and 23B comprises: (i) circuitryand apparatus for supporting one or more local area type networkinterfaces such as Ethernet, WIFI, RS-232 and/or USB to establish anetwork interface with the remote or local computing network, as thecase may be; (ii) circuitry for supporting one or more wirelesswide-area type interfaces such as GPRS, CDMA and/or 3G, as theapplication may require; and (iii) apparatus for providing connectionsto sources of electrical power such as 120 VAC and/or backup sources ofVDC power.

Each PC-level network management system 21A, 21B, equipped with displaymessaging management application 700 installed on its memoryarchitecture, is also be provided with drivers that support (i)communication with interface GPRS/CDMA/3G interface card 23A and 23B,respectively, and (ii) database calls to either the local databaseintegrated within the messaging management application 700, or to theRDBMS program stored on the middleware/database servers 22A, 22B,respectively.

The electronic-ink display messaging management application 700 supportsGUIs as shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C, and the network monitoringfunctions as illustrated in FIGS. 10D through 10H, to be described ingreater detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a plurality of RFID readers 11 are networked via anEthernet network connection to a host PC-level system 21B for managing apopulation of RFID-networked wireless electronic-ink display signs 2B.The wireless communication network of the present invention can beenhanced with WI-FI connections so that managers and employees of thestore can gain remote access to the host PC system 21B using wirelessPDA-like devices 18, providing access to and manipulation of messagingdisplayed on any of the wireless electronic-ink display devices deployedon the wireless communication network of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the primary network gateway device 5A supportingUSB to ZigBee communication protocol translation, is connected to thenetwork hub 20B. In turn, the network gateway device 5 is wirelesslyconnected to the coordinator device 6, and the coordinator device 6 iswirelessly connected to a plurality of subnetwork gateways 5B, eachsupporting IEEE 802.15.4 to Ethernet network protocol translation.

As shown in FIG. 1B, each subnetwork gateway 6B includes a networkadapter 12 translating from the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol to the Ethernetnetwork protocol, and interfacing with the RFID reader 11 having twodipole antennas 26A, 22B connected via coaxial cable, one for signaltransmission and one for signal reception. The RFID reader 11 supportswireless communication with a plurality of wireless electronic-inkdisplay devices 2A, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, and each having an RFIDIC 29 mounted on its motherboard and containing informationrepresentative of an unique identifier (e.g. electronic UPC number orthe like).

In the illustrative embodiment, the EPC Gen2 Class3 protocol is selectedfor enabling communication between the RFID reader 11 and the RFID ICs29. The EPC Gen2 Class3 protocol is based on UHF RFID technologyoperating in the US ISM 902-928 MHz band (968 MHz band in EU). To updatethe price on any electronic-ink display device, the host system 21Bsends an update command over the wireless communication network toactivate the RFID reader nearby the particular wireless electronic-inkdisplay device 2B. In response, the RFID reader 11 receives the updatecommand, and then interrogates the RFID ICs in its field of view, forthe corresponding unique identifier. When the RFID reader 11 finds thecorrect identifier, it writes the new price to the internal memory ofthe RFID IC 29. Thereafter, the programmed microprocessor on themotherboard takes control, and updates the graphical informationdisplayed on the electronic-ink display assembly.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the wireless network 1B includes a plurality ofwireless PDAs 18, each having a network adapter 12, and being operatedby a store manager.

In FIG. 1C, the remote network management system portion 3 of thewireless communication network of FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2 is shown comprisinga GPRS/CDMA/3G interface card 23A with an antenna, a network hub 20Aconnected to the interface card via RS-232, USB, Ethernet etc, and aPC-level host computer 21A and an application and database server 22A.The remote network management system 3 is wirelessly interfaced with aZigBee network management system 30 comprising a GPRS/CDMA/3G interfacecard 23, connected to a local PC-level network management system 21C,which is connected to a network gateway device 5A via RS-232, USB,Ethernet etc. The gateway 5A is in wireless communication with thenetwork coordinator 6 that can be powered by wall-supplied electricalpower. The function of this coordinator device is to establish awireless mesh network according to the IEEE 802.15.4 networkingprotocol. The coordinator 6 sets up a mesh of interconnected networkrouters 7A engulfing a plurality of electronic-ink display devices 2A,as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and other end-devices such as cashregisters 15, scanners 16, digital imagers 17, and wireless PDAs 18.

The remote management system 3 updates electronic-ink display devices 2Aby accessing the wireless network and sending an update command to therespective electronic-ink device via the gateway device 5A. The host PCsystem 21C, running display management application 700, addresses theindividual electronic-ink display device (e-display) by way of its MACaddress and sends a data packet containing the information to be updatedon the electronic-ink display device 2A. Once the data packet is sent tothe gateway 5A, the network routers takes over and route the datapackets associated with the message, to the desired electronic-inkdisplay device in a manner transparent to the user.

In most retail environments in which the wireless communication networkof the present invention is deployed, the host computer 21A, 21B and/or21C can serve as the backbone for the retail back-end system operations.In general, host computer system 21A, 21B and/or 21C coordinates theflow of information from the retail store's local database 22A andacross the wireless communication network. The local database 22Atypically contains information about each product including theproduct's UPC, description, price and quantity available in stock.Events occurring on the wireless network may be tracked by the hostcontroller and reflected in the database as needed. This process worksin the reverse as well. An external connection made to the back-endsystem, via the Internet, enables off-site remote access to both thedatabase 22B and the wireless network 1, shown in FIGS. 1A1 and 1A2. Forexample, using the wireless communication network of the presentinvention, a chain of shoe stores can be managed from a central locationcontaining a global database of all the products and prices. Thisinformation can be sent over the Internet to back-end system 4 deployedin each individual store in the chain. The local host computer 21B maythen transfer this information across the wireless network. Oncedestined for the wireless network, individual electronic-ink productpricing signs can be addressed and updated to reflect the priceinformation for the particular product maintained in the globaldatabase.

Preferably, wall-to-wall wireless coverage will be implemented in mostapplications, to maintain each electronic-ink display device visible onthe wireless communication network. In the inevitable event that anetwork access point goes down on the wireless network, the wirelesscommunication network of the present invention will automatically ensurethat data packets destined to all devices in that failed region of thespace are automatically re-routed to another access point so thatcontinuous network operation is maintained.

The Wireless Communication Network of the Present Invention HavingRouters That Can Function as the Network Coordinator

In FIG. 2, the parent/child relationship of each node in the wirelesscommunication network of the present invention graphically illustratesthat any one of the routers in the network can function as the networkcoordinator, in the event the assigned network coordinator either failsor instructs another router to carry out its networkcoordination/control functions. This inventive feature provides thewireless network of the present invention with increased flexibility,and improved redundancy, as will be explained in greater detailhereinafter.

In accordance with convention, specification of communication systems,networks and components is made using the Open Systems Interconnection(OSI) model. Notably, however, the OSI model does not provide specificmethods of communication, and therefore, actual communication is definedby the various communication protocols employed in any givencommunication system/network. In the context of data communication, anetwork protocol is a formal set of rules, conventions and datastructures that governs how computers and other network devices exchangeinformation over a communication network.

In modern protocol design, network protocols are “layered” according tothe OSI 7 layer model. The OSI 7 layer model begins by defining thecommunications process into 7 layers, and then divides the tasksinvolved with moving information between networked devices into sevensmaller, more manageable task groups. A task or group of tasks is thenassigned to each of the seven OSI layers. Each layer is self-containedso that the tasks assigned to each layer can be implementedindependently. This enables the solutions offered by one layer to beupdated without adversely affecting the other layers.

The seven layers of the OSI model can be divided into two groups: upperlayers (layers 7, 6 & 5) and lower layers (layers 4, 3, 2, 1). The upperlayers of the OSI model address end-to-end communications between datasource and destinations, and application issues, and generally areimplemented only in software. The highest layer, the application layer,is closest to the end user. The lower layers of the OSI model addresscommunications between network devices and handle data transport issues.The physical layer and the data link layer are implemented in hardwareand software. The lowest layer, the physical layer, is closest to thephysical network medium (e.g. wires, or free-space, for example) and isresponsible for placing data on the medium.

The specific description for each layer is as follows:

Layer 6, the Presentation Layer, masks the differences of data formatsbetween dissimilar systems; specifies architecture-independent datatransfer format; encodes and decodes data; encrypts and decrypts data;and compresses and decompresses data.

Layer 5, the Session Layer, manages user sessions and dialogues,controls establishment and termination of logic links between users, andreports upper layer errors.

Layer 4, the Transport Layer, manages end-to-end message delivery innetwork; provides reliable and sequential packet delivery through errorrecovery and flow control mechanisms; and provides connectionlessoriented packet delivery.

Layer 3, the Network (NWK) Layer, determines how data are transferredbetween network devices; routes packets according to unique networkdevice addresses; and provides flow and congestion control to preventnetwork resource depletion.

Layer 2, the Medium Access Control MAC (i.e. Data Link) Layer, definesprocedures for operating the communication links; frames data packets;detects and corrects data packets transmit errors.

Layer 1, the Physical (PHY) Layer, defines physical means of sendingdata over network devices; interfaces between network medium anddevices; and defines optical, electrical and mechanical characteristics.

Further details regarding these layers can be found in “Introduction toWireless Systems” (2008) by Bruce A. Black, et al, published byPrentice-Hall, and incorporated herein by reference.

Today, a wide variety of network communication protocols exists, andeach is defined by many standard organizations worldwide and technologyvendors over years of technology evolution and developments. One of themost popular protocol suites is TCP/IP, which is the heart ofInternetworking communications. The IP, the Internet Protocol, isresponsible for exchanging information between routers so that therouters can select the proper path for network traffic, while TCP isresponsible to ensure the data packets are transmitted across thenetwork reliably and error free. LAN and WAN protocols are also criticalprotocols in the network communications. LAN protocols suite is for thephysical and data link layers communications over various LAN media suchas Ethernet wires and wireless waves. WAN protocol suite is for thelowest three layers and defines communication over various wide-areamedia such as fiber optic and cable.

Network protocols for data communication cover all areas defined in theOSI model. However, a protocol may perform the functions of one or moreof the OSI layers. Often, a group of protocols are required in the samelayer, or across many different layers. Different protocols oftendescribe different aspects of a single communication, and when takentogether, these protocols form a protocol suite. Protocols can begrouped into suites (or families, or stacks) by their technicalfunctions, or origin of the protocol introduction, or both. A protocolmay belong to one or multiple protocol suites, depends on how they arecategorized. Protocols can be implemented either in hardware orsoftware, or a mixture of both. Typically, only the lower layers areimplemented in hardware, with the higher layers being implemented insoftware.

In FIG. 3, the different layers associated with the ZigBee IEEE 802.15.4network protocol stack are shown as comprising: the Application (APL)Layer, the Network (NWK) Layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer,and the Physical (PHY) Layer of the OSI 7 Layer Model. The other OSI 7layers have not been represented to simplify explication. The ZigBeeNetwork Layer protocol depends on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, whichforms the bottom two layers of the stack, namely: the PHY layer whichdescribes the hardware required for communication at the IC and systemslevels; and the MAC layer which describes the network addressing scheme.

Preferably, the wireless communication network of the illustrativeembodiments is based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which operates in the2.45 GHz ISM band along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The IEEE 802.15.4standard supports a low power (0 dBm typical), low data rate (250 kb/s)wireless mesh networking technology utilizing direct-sequence spreadspectrum (DSSS) coding. This standard supports sixteen channels (11 to26) ranging from 2.405 to 2.48 GHz, each spaced 5 MHz apart. Channels15, 20, 25 and 26 are preferred because they mitigate the susceptibilityof interference from Wi-Fi networks. The transmission range is somewherebetween 10 and 75 meters, with 30 meters being typical.

In the illustrative embodiment, on top of the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and MAClayers reside the NWK and APL layers, as defined by the ZigBee Alliance.The NWK layer contains the software necessary to implement meshnetworking. The APL layer describes the function of devices such ascoordinator, router, etc. It is on the APL layer that an end user canbuild their own custom application to operate on the wireless network ofthe present invention. Also, a security layer can be implemented betweenthe NWK and APL layers to provide added measures of network andapplication security to the wireless communication network of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 describes the packet structure associated with the IEEE 802.15.4wireless networking protocol, including the packet data framesassociated with MAC Packet Data Unit (MPDU) which is required forcommunication between devices on the wireless communication network,namely: the MAC frame for addressing, DATA frame for data transmission,and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT frame for confirmation.

In summary, the wireless communication network of the illustrativeembodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1A through 1C,employs at least one network gateway 5, a wireless networkcoordinator/controller 6, one or more wireless end-devices (e.g.electronic-ink display devices, etc.) 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, and wirelessrouters 7, communicate (i.e. transmit and receive) data packets(representing messages and commands based thereon) with each other usingthe IEEE 802.15.4 networking protocol suite.

In any embodiment of the wireless communication network of the presentinvention, the network coordinator 6 will always be the most seniorparent node in the network under management, and be assigned the address‘0’. All other wireless network devices then will become children of orto the coordinator node. For example, if router 1 is the child of thecoordinator and it is the parent of two electronic-ink displays, thenthese two electronic-ink displays are grandchildren of the coordinator.Every device in the network is assigned a parent, and each devicerequests and receives data from its parent. Each device is alsoresponsible for responding to its children nodes.

In the preferred embodiment, a mesh network topology is used toimplement the wireless communication network of the present invention.In this network structure, the network coordinator, gateways and routersare networked together in such a way that if one of these devices goesdown or fails to operate properly (other than the coordinator), then thenetwork will automatically find another path of data packetcommunication. This process of network self-healing occurs completelytransparent to the user. For example, using conventional wirelesscommunication networking technology, when an employee accidentallyknocks router No. 1 off-line, then both of its children electronic-inkdisplay devices will be disconnected from the network. However, usingthe wireless mesh communication network of the present invention, thesetwo electronic-ink display devices will be automatically assigned torouter 2 so that network communication is uninterrupted. In order forend-devices to be registered on the mesh network by the networkcoordinator/controller, the end-devices must be powered on constantly,or periodically, to monitor the network via its networkcontroller/coordinator.

During network operation, electronic-ink display devices are updated viathe mesh network with commands originating from either of the PC-levelnetwork management systems 21A, 21B or 21C, or mobile portable dataterminal (PDT) 18 deployed on the wireless network. As described above,the wireless network can be managed using PC-level network managementsystem 21B or 21C via its LAN, or using PC-level network managementsystem 21A connected to database server 22A, and WAN communicationprotocols, including TCP/IP and http communication protocols. Inaddition to electronic-ink display devices, virtually any electronicdevice can be affixed with a router or an end-device to gain access tothe wireless mesh communication network of the present invention. Basedon varying degrees of functionality, such wireless end-devices can thenbe accessed by the PC-level network management systems 21A, 21B and 21C.A typical example of network usage will include a clerk at a cashregister 15 requesting authorization for a product return. In this usecase, the manager receives the request from the cash register 15 overthe wireless network on his/her wireless PDA or PDT 18. The manager canthen choose to verify the request, and send the acknowledgement over thewireless mesh network back to the cash register 15. In addition, a GPSsatellite system 9, or other position location tracking module/engine 10can be implemented to track the movement and position of nodes and otheritems on the wireless communication network, as well be described ingreater detail hereinafter.

On the wireless mesh network of the present invention, the coordinatoris responsible for establishing the personal area network (PAN)). In theillustrative embodiment, this network identifier is implemented using a16 bit value allowing for 65535 different PANs operating in the sameregion of physical space. At any instant in time, there is only onecoordinator in the network, and all devices joining the network mustcommunicate on the same PAN. The coordinator 6 also selects thefrequency channel for digital communication. Once the PAN has beenestablished, gateways 5, routers 7A and end-devices 2A can join thenetwork. The gateway serves as the point for PC systems 21A, 21B and21C, and other remote users, to gain access to the wirelesscommunication network. The function of the routers is to extend therange of the wireless communication network. In the wireless network ofthe present invention, all electronic-ink display devices areend-devices on the network. FIG. 2 shows the network hierarchy known asthe parent/child structure.

The Electronic-Based Display Device of the Present Invention with IEEE802.15.4 Wireless Networking Capabilities

As shown in FIG. 5A, the wireless electronic-based display device of thepresent invention 2A is provided with IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networkingcapabilities and comprises: an addressable electronic-ink based displaymodule 30 (e.g. including a layer of bi-stable display medium (i.e.electronic ink) 31 disposed between a TFT-based backplane structure 32and an electrically conductive optically-clear layer (ITO) 33, solar andglare filter layer 34 disposed on the ITO layer 33, and a clearprotective layer 35 disposed on layer 34, provided within aweather-sealed, thermally-insulated and heat-dissipativeenclose/packaging 36, a backplane driving module 37 employing aplurality of driver ICs 38A-38N); a system control module 39 including amicroprocessor 40, a IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 41, flash memory 42for firmware storage and graphics rendering control 43, program memory44, and GPIO submodule 45 integrated with a system bus 46, and a powermanagement module 47 for managing the power levels within the device; aposition location engine 48 interfaced with the system bus 46 forcalculating the position of the device within the network, based on thesignal strength or intensity of received signals (RSSI) transmitted froma pair of network routers; an impedance matching network 49 interfacedwith the modem transceiver and a dipole antenna structure 50; a powersource module 51 including an electro-chemical battery 52 (e.g. thinfilm micro energy cells), and solar cell 53 and associated powerconversion circuitry 54; a power switching module 55 including a reedswitch 56 and an ON/OFF power switch 57; and a voltage boost circuit 58arranged between the output of the power switching module 55 and thebackplane driving module 37. As shown, the microprocessor 40, IEEE802.15.4 modem transceiver 41, flash memory 42, program memory 43, GPIOsubmodule 45, and power management module 47 are each realized on asystem ASIC or system on a chip (SOC) supported on the multi-layer PCboard 60.

The function of the reed switch 56 is to maintain an electrical OFFposition so long as its release component (i.e. permanent magnet 56A)remains in contact with the body of the reed switch. When the permanentmagnet 56A is removed from the reed switch body, and its magnetic fieldis no longer present, then the reed switch 56 is configured into itselectrical ON position. This causes the electrical supply component 52,53 or 54, arranged in series with the reed switch 56, to be activelyswitched into the power switching circuit 55, shown in FIG. 5A, therebysupplying an electrical voltage to the system. Once the magnet isreattached to the reed switch body, the reed switch is reconfigured backinto its original electrically OFF position.

In the illustrative embodiment, the reed switch 56 is integrated intothe housing of the electronic-ink display device, and the magneticcomponent 56A is either attached to the exterior of the housing, viamagnetic forces, and may fit into a preformed slot in the housing, or ina slot in the packaging material of its shipping carton or the like.Thus, when the display device is removed from its shipping carton, themagnetic component 56A is automatically removed from its reed switch 56,causing it to be configured in its electrically ON arrangement, and thuscapable of conducting electricity from the electrical power supply tothe electronics aboard the display device. By virtue of the reedswitching mechanism of the present invention, electrical charge leakage,drainage or discharge of the onboard battery source 52 is preventeduntil the electronic-ink display device is removed from its shippingcontainer and ready for operation.

In alternative embodiments, where the reed switch of the presentinvention is not employed, a simple ON/OFF switch 57 can be employed toswitch the electrical battery source 52, and/or other electrical powersources 53, into the electrical system of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the wireless electronic-based display device of thepresent invention 2B is provided with RFID capabilities, and comprises:an addressable electronic-ink based display module 30 (e.g. including alayer of bi-stable display medium (i.e. electronic ink) 31 disposedbetween a TFT-based backplane structure 32 and an electricallyconductive optically-clear layer (ITO) 33, solar and glare filter layer34 disposed on the ITO layer 33, and a clear protective layer 35disposed on layer 34) provided with a weather-sealed,thermally-insulated and heat-dissipative enclose/packaging 36, abackplane driving module 37 employing a plurality of driver ICs38A-38N): a system control module 39 including a microprocessor (i.e.MC13213 SOC by Freescale having an 8-bit HCS08 MC) 40, GPIO submodule 45integrated with a system bus 46, flash memory (e.g. 60 kB) 47 forfirmware storage and graphics rendering control, program memory (e.g. 4kB) 44, and a power management module 47 for managing the power levelswithin the device; RFID IC 29 (for enabling purely-passive,partially-passive and purely-passive RFID applications) interfaced withan impedance matching network 49 connected to a dipole antenna structure50 tuned to 2.4 GHZ according to the IEEE 802.15.4; a position locationengine 48 interfaced with the system bus 46 for calculating the positionof the device within the network, based on the signal strength ofreceived signals; a power source module 51 including an electro-chemicalbattery (e.g. 3V, 1200 mAh non-rechargeable, lithium battery, orthin-film micro energy cells) 52, and solar cell 53 and associated powerconversion circuitry 54; a power switching module 55 including a reedswitch 56 powering off the device when removed from its holder, and anON/OFF power switch 57; and a voltage boost circuit 58 arranged betweenthe output of the power switching module 55 and the backplane drivingmodule 37. As shown, the microprocessor 40, flash memory 42, programmemory 44, GPIO submodule 45, and power management module 47 are eachrealized on a system ASIC supported on the multi-layer PC board.

As can be best seen in FIG. 5C, the electronic-based display devicesdepicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B, exhibits a stacked display structurecomprising: protective layer of optically clear plastic 35;solar/glare-reduction layer 34; ITO layer 33; electronic-ink mediumlayer 32; a TFT-driven backplane layer (e.g. TFT matrix layer) 32; amotherboard structure 60 including multi-layer printed circuit board(PCB) and components supported thereon; a thermal insulationweather-sealed packaging 36 provided about the display structure and PCBmotherboard assembly/structure; and a non-RF shielding, heat-dissipativethermal radiator 61 mounted to the rear surface of the PCB, and inthermal communication with the display structure and motherboardstructure of the display device. All of the electronic components arepopulated on one side of the motherboard, multi-layer PCB. The displayassembly is attached to the other side of the PCB structure 60,typically by connector or heat-seal-bonding.

During operation, the driver ICs 38A-38N are enabled by the MCU on theSOC 39 to update the display device when there is new information to bedisplayed thereon. Otherwise driver ICs are in the off configuration bydefault. The display requires both a 0V and a +15V signal for updatingthe display. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, these IC drivers include aninternal charge pump (i.e. voltage boost circuit 58) to scale the 3Vbattery supply voltage up to the required 15V, in the illustrativeembodiment of the present invention.

In an illustrative embodiment of the wireless network, eachelectronic-ink display device can be configured as a ZigBee end-device.This implies that it resides at the bottom of the parent/child networkstructure depicted in FIG. 2. The electronic-ink display device does notparticipate in the mesh-networked portion of the network, therebyenabling the device to connect (and disconnect) at will. This feature ofthe wireless network structure of the present invention enables theelectronic-ink display device of the present invention to enter into asleep mode to conserve stored onboard electrical energy. The length anddepth of the sleep mode can readily be configured for each applicationvia firmware settings within flash memory 42. This feature will beexplained in greater detail hereinafter.

In general, when an electronic-ink display device of FIG. 5A is poweredon, it immediately searches for a wireless network to join. If there isa network coordinator present that has established a PAN, then theelectronic-ink display device will request pertinent network informationincluding the MAC address of the display device's parent and the MACaddress of the host gateway. Once the electronic-ink display device hasreceived this information, it enters an idle state. In this state, thedisplay device can move on to another state. Generally, theelectronic-ink display device is in its idle state awaiting instructionfrom its parent. The parent can issue a command to put theelectronic-ink display device in short sleep mode, or a long sleep mode.In these sleep modes, the electronic-ink display device shuts down andcannot respond until it wakes up. The length of sleep mode can bechanged via firmware settings within flash memory 42. Upon waking upfrom its sleep mode, the electronic-ink display device sends anacknowledgement to its parent node as a request for information. Datasent to the electronic-ink display device while it was sleeping can nowbe retrieved by the electronic-ink display device from the parent node.When a command has been issued by the parent to update the display stateof the electronic-ink display device, the electronic-ink device writesthe data to its memory and then begins the display update routine. Thisroutine includes parsing the data from memory, enabling the displaydriver ICs and writing data serially to the drivers.

The state diagram of FIG. 5D illustrates the particular states that theelectronic-ink based display device of FIGS. 5A and 5B can undergoduring its operation on the wireless communication network of thepresent invention, namely: (i) a connect to network state; (ii) an idlestate; (iii) a short sleep (i.e. 10 second) state; (iv) a long sleep (2minutes) state; (v) a display update routine state, (vi) a write data tomemory state; and (vii) a read data from memory state.

As indicated in FIG. 5D, the display device remains at its connect tonetwork state while it is requesting network information. The displaydevice transitions to its idle state when an address of the gatewaydevice is received. The display device remains at its idle state whileit is waiting for instructions from its parent node in the network. Thedisplay device transitions from its idle state to its short sleep statewhen a short sleep command is issued and received. The display deviceremains in its short sleep state for 10 seconds and returns to the idlestate. The display device transitions from its idle state to its longsleep state when a long sleep command is issued and received. Thedisplay device remains in its long sleep state for two minutes and thenreturns to its idle state. The display device transitions from its idlestate to its write data state when the parent node sends information forstorage in memory (i.e. new parent MAC address or update the display).The display device transitions from its write data to memory state toits idle state when it receives a send acknowledgment to parent node.The display device transitions from its write data to memory state toits display update routine state when it receives an update displaycommand issued with the memory write command. The display devicetransitions from its display update routine to its idle state when itreceives a send acknowledgment to parent node command. The displaydevice transitions from its idle state to its read data from memorystate when it receives a parent request for information command. Thedisplay device transitions from read data from memory to its idle statewhen it receives a send acknowledgment to parent command.

FIG. 5E illustrates the process steps carried out by the IEEE 802.15.4firmware contained in each wireless electronic-ink display devicedeployed in the wireless communication network of FIGS. 1A and 1C. Thefirmware flowchart shown in FIG. 5E shows the logical sequence of eventsthat the code has been designed to handle, and provides an alternativeillustration of the state diagram of FIG. 5D.

It is appropriate at this juncture to describe these steps in detail.

As indicated at Block A of FIG. 5E, the firmware control processinvolves powering up and initializing the wireless communicationnetwork.

As indicated at Block B, the MAC address of the parent node isrequested.

As indicated at Block C, the firmware control process determines whetheror not the MAC address of the parent node has been received. If not,then the firmware control process returns to Block B and waits toreceive the parent node's MAC address, and when it does, the firmwarecontrol process proceeds to Block D where the short address of thegateway is requested.

At Block E, the firmware control process determines whether or not theshort address of the gateway device has been received, and returns toBlock D until the short address of the gateway is received. When theshort address of the gateway is received, then at Block F, the firmwarecontrol process sends self-identification to the gateway device.

At Block G, the firmware control process waits for incoming instructionsfrom the parent node (i.e. at the idle state).

At Block H, the firmware control process determines whether or not along sleep command has been issued and received, and if so, then atBlock I enters the long sleep mode, and reports to the parent node uponwakeup, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgment to the parent node,and then returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG. 5E.

At Block K, the firmware control process determines whether or not ashort sleep command has been issued and received, and if so, then atBlock L enters the short sleep mode, and then at Block J sends anacknowledgment to the parent node, and then returns to its idle state,as shown in FIG. 5E.

At Block M, the firmware control process determines whether or not acommon operation command has been issued and received, and if so, thenat Block N reads, writes, or displays data in the register table in itsflash memory, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgment to the parentnode, and returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG. 5E.

Finally, at Block O, the firmware control process determines whether ornot a new parent node has been assigned to the network end device, andif so, then at Block P writes the short address of the new parent nodein its memory, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgment to the parentnode, and then returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG. 5E.

As shown in FIG. 5F, the firmware architecture employed in theelectronic-ink based display device (e.g. sign) comprises seven C filesorganized as shown. As indicated at Block A in FIG. 5F, theinitialization step is carried out using firmware components BeeAppZin.cand BeeApp.c for configuring the wireless network. At Block B, theself-identification information acquisition step is carried out usingfirmware components BeeStack.globals.c which enables the electronic-inkdisplay device (i.e. sign) to identify itself and obtain its parent'sMAC address. At Block C, the self-identification informationtransmission step is carried out using firmware components mutil.c. Whenthe electronic-ink display device is in the idle state, the mutil.cprogram is initialized. From this main program, the sign can executeother functions and code depending on the input from its parent node. AtBlock D, the update display step is carried out using firmwarecomponents disp_rollback.c, cof.c and drv_seg.c. At Block E, theread/write to memory step is carried out using firmware componentscommon command.c. Finally, at Block F, the step change self to parent iscarried out using firmware components.

Electronic-Ink Based Display Device of the Present Invention Employingan Edge-Lit LED-Based Illumination Module

As shown in FIG. 6A, the electronic-ink based display device of thepresent invention 2C is adapted for use in (i) indoor and outdoorenvironments characterized by dynamic and low ambient lightingconditions, as well as (ii) indoor signage application requiring thedisplay of fire emergency/building evacuation instructions, displayed onbuilding walls, doors, stairwells, etc. As shown, electronic-ink baseddisplay device 2C supports IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networkingcapabilities and comprises: an addressable electronic-ink based displaymodule 30 (e.g. including a layer of bi-stable display medium (i.e.electronic ink) 31 disposed between a TFT-based backplane structure 32and an electrically conductive optically-clear layer (ITO) 33, solar andglare filter layer 34 disposed on the ITO layer 33, and a clearprotective layer 35 disposed on layer 34 provided with a weather-sealed,thermally-insulated and heat-dissipative enclose/packaging 36, abackplane driving module 37 employing a plurality of driver ICs38A-38N): a system control module 39 including a microprocessor 40, aIEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 41, flash memory 42 for firmware storageand graphics rendering control 43, program memory 44, and GPIO submodule45 integrated with a system bus 46, and a power management module 47 formanaging the power levels within the device; a position locationengine/module 48 interfaced with the system bus 46 for calculating theposition of the device within the network, based on the signal strengthof received signals from pairs of network routers; one or more sensors65 (e.g. temperature, smoke sensor, CO2 sensor, fire/heat or IR sensor,etc) also interfaced with the system bus 46; an ambient light sensor 66for sensing ambient lighting conditions about the display device 30 andgenerating a drive control signal; an edge-lit LED-based illuminationmodule 67, responsive to the drive control signal generated by ambientlight sensor 66, for illuminating the display surface of the addressableelectronic-ink display module 30; an impedance matching network 49interfaced with the modem transceiver 41 and a dipole antenna structure50; a power source module 51 including a electro-chemical battery 52,and solar cell 53 and associated power conversion circuitry 54; a powerswitching module 55 including a reed switch 56 and an ON/OFF powerswitch 57; and a voltage boost circuit 58 arranged between the output ofthe power switching module 55 and the backplane driving module 57. Asshown, the microprocessor 40, IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 41, flashmemory 42, program memory 44, GPIO submodule 45, and power managementmodule 47 are each realized on a system ASIC (i.e. SOC) supported on themulti-layer PC motherboard 60, to provide the system control module 39.

As can be best seen in FIG. 6B, the electronic-based display devicedepicted in FIG. 6A, exhibits a stacked display structure comprises: aprotective layer of optically clear plastic 35; a solar/glare-reductionlayer 34; an ITO layer 33; an electronic-ink medium layer 31; aTFT-driven backplane layer (e.g. TFT matrix layer) 32; a motherboardstructure 60 including multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) andcomponents supported thereon; thermal insulation weather-sealedpackaging 26 provided about the display structure and motherboardassembly; and non-RF shielding heat-dissipative thermal radiator 61mounted to the rear surface of the PCB, and in thermal communicationwith the display structure and motherboard structure of the displaydevice. All of the electronic components are populated on one side ofthe multi-layer PCB (i.e. motherboard) 60. The display assembly 30 isattached to the other side of the PCB 60, typically by ZIF connector orheat-seal bonding.

The function of the edge-lit LED driven illumination module 67 is toprovide sufficient visible illumination to the electronic-ink layer 31during low-illumination lighting conditions detected in indoor oroutdoor environments by the ambient light sensor 66, under the controlof programmed microprocessor 40. The function of the ambient lightsensor 66 is to continuously or periodically detect the presence ofambient lighting conditions, and transmit such measurements to theprogrammed processor 40, and generate and supply illuminationcontrol/drive signal to the edge-lit LED illumination module 67, underthe control of programmed microprocessor 40. Notably, the ambient lightsensor 66 can be realized as a discrete photo-electronic sensorintegrated within the housing frame about the display surface of thedisplay device. Alternatively, this sensor may be realized as one ormore micro-sized sensor elements integrated within the pixel structureof the electronic-ink display assembly 30, so as to not be noticeable tothe human eye at a particular viewing distance, but constantlyintegrating photonic energy of ambient light striking or falling ambienton the surface of the display panel. In the illustrative embodiment, theprogrammed microprocessor 40 runs a firmware routine which analyzesambient light condition measurements taken by sensor 66 about thedisplay screen, and automatically generates an illuminationcontrol/drive signal. In turn, the illumination control signal issupplied to driver circuitry 37 which drives the LED illumination module67 so as to produce the required illumination levels to render thegraphics on the display surface clearly visible to nearby viewers underthe current ambient light conditions. Notably, edge-lit LED illuminationmodule 67 will include appropriate optics that (i) optically couplesillumination produced from the LED array within the illumination module67, and (ii) directs light rays substantially normal to the surface ofthe electronic-ink layer 31 so that a substantially portion of theseincident light rays reflect and/or scatter therefrom, in the directionof viewers, and render the displayed graphics visible to the humanvision system thereof.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the functionof graphics rendering control 43 within system control module 39 is torender each frame of graphics displayed on the electronic-ink baseddisplay device so as to optimize the discernability of the displayedgraphics under particular lighting conditions automatically, andcontinuously or periodically monitored by the electronic-ink displaydevice of the present invention. For example, when twilight or dusklighting conditions are detected by the photo-electronic ambient lightlevel sensor 66 aboard the wireless electronic-ink display device, shownin FIG. 6A, the programmed processor 40 will run a graphics renderingprogram that will alter the graphics fonts and surface edges so thatlettering and other graphics will be more easily discernible in lowlevel lighting conditions. Graphics rendering processes and techniquesfor use in implementing the graphics rendering function of the presentinvention are disclosed and described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No.7,324,700, incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety.

The function of sensor 65 is to sense a condition in the ambientenvironment (e.g. temperature, CO2 etc) and automatically generate analarm signal when the ambient condition (e.g. temperature) exceeds apredetermined temperature threshold. In the case of the wirelesselectronic-ink signage device shown in FIG. 5C, mounted in an outdoorenvironment, having large temperature swings in either the cold and/orhot direction, the sensor 65 can be set to detect when ambienttemperatures exceed a predetermined threshold (i.e. above 120 F or below5 F) and transmit an alarm signal (data message) to a remote location byway of wireless data packet communication over the wirelesscommunication network to which the signage device is connected. Ideally,the thermal packaging selected for the wireless e-ink signage device ofthe present invention should be such that it enables all electronics andelectro-optical components employed in the signage device to operateproperly within the predetermined extreme temperature range for whichthe outdoor signage device has been designed, and that the temperaturethresholds set for the signage device should be to automatically detectwhen the ambient temperatures exceed these temperature thresholds set inthe wireless device, and automatically generate and transmit an alarm toone or more remote nodes on the wireless communication network, to whicheach such wireless outdoor e-ink signage device is connected.

Also, the wireless signage device is capable of sending alarms to remotelocations on the network when ambient light levels exceed predeterminedambient light level thresholds that have been set for any particularwireless e-ink signage device. Such alarms can be serviced by trainedpersonnel involving on-site inspection of the signage devices todetermine if they are operating properly and their programmed messagescan be visibly discerned at the particular installation location wherethe wireless signage device has been deployed at any point in time. TheGPS and/or position location capabilities of each wireless signagedevice will allow sensed temperature and/or ambient light level readingsto be automatically recorded, along with the signage device's GPScoordinates and/or installation location, and then transmitted to andstored in central database maintained on the wireless communicationnetwork. Various kinds of metrics can be generated from this database toimprove the quality of performance of all wireless electronic-inksignage devices deployed on any given wireless communication network.

In the illustrative embodiment, the electronic-ink display device ofFIG. 6A is configured as an end-device, implying that it resides at thebottom of the parent/child network structure. As shown in FIG. 2, theelectronic-ink display device does not participate in the mesh-networkedportion of the wireless network, and thus the device can connect (anddisconnect) at will, thereby enabling the electronic-ink display deviceof the present invention to enter into a sleep mode to conserveelectrical energy. The length and depth of sleep can readily beconfigured for each application via firmware set in flash memory 42, astaught herein.

In general, when the electronic-ink sign of FIG. 6A is powered on, itimmediately searches for a network coordinator to join the networkthereby. If there is a coordinator present that has established a PAN,then the electronic-ink display device will request pertinent networkinformation including the MAC address of the sign's parent and the MACaddress of the host gateway. Once the electronic-ink display device hasreceived this information, it enters an idle state. In this state, thedisplay device can move on to another state. Generally, theelectronic-ink sign is in its idle state awaiting instruction from itsparent. The parent can issue a command to put the electronic-ink sign inshort sleep or long sleep mode. In these modes, the electronic-inkdisplay device shuts down and cannot respond until it wakes up. Thelength of sleep mode can be changed in firmware. Upon waking up from itssleep mode, the electronic-ink display device sends an acknowledgementto its parent node as a request for information. Data sent to theelectronic-ink display device while it is in its sleep mode can beretrieved by the electronic-ink display device from its parent node.When a command has been issued by the parent node to update the displayof the electronic-ink display device, the electronic-ink display devicewrites the data to its memory and then begins the display updateroutine. This routine includes parsing the data from memory, enablingthe display driver ICs and writing data serially to the drivers.

The state diagram of FIG. 6C illustrates the particular states that theelectronic-ink based display device of FIGS. 6A and 6B can undergoduring its operation on the wireless communication network of thepresent invention, namely: (i) a connect to network state; (ii) an idlestate; (iii) a short sleep (i.e. 10 second) state; (iv) a long sleep (2minutes) state; (v) a display update routine state, (vi) a write data tomemory state; and (vii) a read data from memory state.

As indicated in FIG. 6C, the display device remains at its connect tonetwork state A while it is requesting network information. The displaydevice transitions to its idle state B when an address of the gatewaydevice is received. The display device remains at its idle state B whileit is waiting for instructions from its parent node in the network. Thedisplay device transitions from its idle state B to its short sleepstate C when a short sleep command is issued and received. The displaydevice remains in its short sleep state for 10 seconds and returns tothe idle state B. The display device transitions from its idle state Bto its long sleep state D when a long sleep command is issued andreceived. The display device remains in its long sleep state D for twominutes and then returns to its idle state B. The display devicetransitions from its idle state D to its write data to memory state Ewhen the parent node sends information for storage in memory (i.e. newparent MAC address or update the display). The display devicetransitions from its write data to memory state E to its idle state Bwhen it receives a send acknowledgment to its parent node. The displaydevice transitions from its write data to memory state E to its displayupdate routine state F when it receives an update display command issuedwith the memory write command. The display device transitions from itsdisplay update routine to its idle state B when it receives a sendacknowledgment to parent node command. The display device transitionsfrom its idle state B to its read data from memory state G when itreceives a parent request for information command. The display devicetransitions from read data from memory state G to its idle state B whenit receives a send acknowledgment to parent command.

FIG. 6D illustrates the process steps carried out by the IEEE 802.15.4firmware contained in each electronic-ink display device of FIG. 6Adeployed in the wireless communication network of FIGS. 1A1, 1A2 and 1C.The firmware flowchart shown in FIG. 6E shows the logical sequence ofevents that the code has been designed to handle, and provides analternative illustration of the state diagram of FIG. 5D.

At this juncture, it is appropriate to describe these steps in detail.

As indicated at Block A of FIG. 6E, the firmware control processinvolves powering up and initializing the network.

As indicated at Block B, the MAC address of the parent node isrequested.

As indicated at Block C, the firmware control process determines whetheror not the MAC address of the parent node has been received. If not,then the firmware control process returns to Block B and waits toreceive the parent node's MAC address, and when it does, the firmwarecontrol process proceeds to Block D where the short address of thegateway is requested.

At Block E, the firmware control process determines whether or not theshort address of the gateway device has been received, and returns toBlock D until the short address of the gateway is received. When theshort address of the gateway is received, then at Block F, the firmwarecontrol process sends self-identification data to the gateway device.

At Block G, the firmware control process waits for incoming instructionsfrom the parent node (i.e. at the idle state).

At Block H, the firmware control process determines whether or not along sleep command has been issued and received, and if so, then atBlock I the control process enters the long sleep mode, and reports tothe parent node upon wakeup, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgmentto the parent node, and then returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG.6E.

At Block K, the firmware control process determines whether or not ashort sleep command has been issued and received, and if so, then atBlock L enters the short sleep mode, and then at Block J sends anacknowledgment to the parent node, and then returns to its idle state,as shown in FIG. 6E.

At Block M, the firmware control process determines whether or not acommon operation command has been issued and received, and if so, thenat Block N reads, writes, or displays data in the register table in itsflash memory, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgment to the parentnode, and returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG. 6E.

Finally, at Block O, the firmware control process determines whether ornot a new parent node has been assigned to the network end device, andif so, then at Block P writes the short address of the new parent nodein its memory, and then at Block J sends an acknowledgment to the parentnode, and then returns to its idle state, as shown in FIG. 6E.

As shown in FIG. 6E, the firmware architecture employed in theelectronic-ink based display device of FIG. 6A comprises seven C filesorganized as shown. As indicated at Block A in FIG. 6E, theinitialization step is carried out using firmware components BeeAppZin.cand BeeApp.c for configuring the ZigBee wireless network. At Block B,the self-identification information acquisition step is carried outusing firmware components BeeStack.globals.c which enables theelectronic-ink display device (i.e. sign) to identify itself and obtainits parent's MAC address. At Block C, the self-identificationinformation transmission step is carried out using firmware componentsmutil.c. When the electronic-ink display device is in the idle state,the mutil.c program is initialized. From this main program, the displaydevice can execute other functions and code depending on the input fromits parent node. At Block D, the update display step is carried outusing firmware components disp_rollback.c, cof.c and drv_seg.c. At BlockE, the read/write to memory step is carried out using firmwarecomponents common command.c. Finally, at Block F, the step change selfto parent is carried out using firmware components.

The Wireless Network Coordinator Device of the Present Invention

As shown in FIGS. 7A1 and 7A2, the network coordinator device of thepresent invention 6 comprises: a housing 70 made of plastic or othersuitable material; a multi-layer PCB 60 as shown in FIG. 7C contained inthe housing; an electrical wall plug 71 integrated with the housing andhaving electrical prongs 72 for plugging into a standard electrical wallsocket; LED indicators 73 integrated with the housing, for indicatingthe status of operation of the network coordinator device; and asecuring mechanism 74 for physically securing the network coordinatordevice to the electrical wall socket, or other fixture, to prevent theftor accidental disconnection during network operation.

The primary function of the network coordinator 6 is to automaticallyestablish a Personal Area Network (PAN) which involves selecting afrequency of operation (e.g. Channels 11 through 26) and assigning a PANID number. All network devices that join the wireless network of thepresent invention must communicate on the selected channel andacknowledge the assigned PAN ID.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the wall-plug type network coordinator device 6 ofFIGS. 7A1 and 7A2 comprises: a system control module 76 including amicroprocessor 77 with a position location calculation engine 78, flashmemory 79 for router or coordinator firmware storage, program memory 80,GPIO submodule 81 connected to an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 82; animpedance matching network 83 connected to a first RF antenna structure(ANT 1) 84 and interfaced with a variable gain power amplifier (Out Tx)85 to the transmit line to boost signal strength to increase range innoisy environments, and a variable gain low-noise amplifier (LNA), (InRx) 85 to the receiver to increase the gain of incoming signals, whereinthe gain of these amplifiers is software-controlled so that the signalstrength is dynamically changed/adjusted, depending on thecharacteristics of the ambient environment; LEDs 86 integrated with thehousing, for indicating the status of operation of the coordinator; aGPS module 87 interfaced with the GPIO submodule 81 and an impedancematching network 88 connected to a GPS RF in/out antenna structure (ANT2) 89, to aid in node location using a real-time location system (RTLS),employing the GPS module 87, and position location algorithm scheme 78using RSSI detection/analysis, or some other similar technology; arechargeable battery 90 for supplying continuous power to the device inthe event of a short-term power failure; a switching power supply module91 connected to an electrical wall socket via the electrical power plug71 integrated with the housing shown in FIGS. 7A1 and 7A2; a batterybackup source (optional) for maintaining power in the event ofshort-term power outages and surges; a voltage regulation module 94interfaced with (i) the power management module 95 and GPS module 87,and (ii) the rechargeable battery 90 and switching power supply 91.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the network coordinator of the present invention 61can be realized as a standalone module form factor, having an externalwall source 120 VAC-12 VDC power adapter 98, and comprising: anASIC-implemented system control module 99 including a power managementmodule 100, a microprocessor 101, flash memory 102 for router orcoordinator firmware storage 103, program memory 104, and a GPIOsubmodule 105 connected to an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 106; avariable gain power amplifier (Out Tx) and a variable gain low-noiseamplifier (LNA), (In Rx) 107 connected to the IEEE 802.15.4 modemtransceiver 106; an impedance matching network 108 connected to thevariable gain power amplifier (Out Tx) and a variable gain low-noiseamplifier 107; an RF antenna structure (ANT 1) 109 interfaced with theimpedance matching network; a voltage regulation module 110 interfacedwith the power management module 100; and an external power source 120VAC-12 VDC power adapter 98 with an AC/DC converter.

As shown in the state diagram of FIG. 7D, the state diagram for thecoordinator 6, 6′ of FIGS. 7A1 through 7C pass through the variousstates of operation in automatic response to events occurring on itsnetwork, including (i) an idle state (i.e. receive module), (ii) a writeto memory state, (iii) a read data from state, (v) a read/write tomemory state, and (vi) a read data from memory state.

As indicated in FIG. 7D, the coordinator device remains in its idlestate (receive mode) A while waiting for a (data packet) request fromchildren nodes or the gateway device/node. The coordinator devicetransitions from its idle state A to its write data to memory state Bwhen the coordinator receives a network report from the network gatewaydevice. The coordinator device transitions from its write data to memorystate B back to its idle state A after it sends an acknowledgment to thegateway device. The coordinator device transitions from its idle state Ato its read data from memory state C when receiving request from a(child node) end device request for a gateway address. The coordinatordevice transitions from the read data from memory state C back to itsidle state A after it sends a response to the child end device. Thecoordinator device transitions from the idle state A to its read/writeto memory state E when it receives an issued common operation command.The coordinator device transitions from the read/write to memory state Dback to the idle state after it sends an acknowledgment to therequesting node. The coordinator device transitions from its idle stateA to its read data to memory state when it receives a request from thegateway for its end device address. The coordinator device transitionsfrom its read data to memory state back to its idle state A after itssends a response to the gateway device.

FIG. 7E describes the process carried out by firmware contained in thecoordinator device 6, 6′ in the wireless communication network of thepresent invention.

At Block A in FIG. 7E, the coordinator waits for incoming instructions(while in its idle state).

At Block B, the coordinator receives network report from the gatewaydevice.

At Block C, the coordinator saves the address of the gateway device tomemory.

At Block D, the coordinator sends an acknowledgment to the gatewaydevice, and returns tour the idle state at Block A.

At Block E, the coordinator receives request for gateway address fromend device.

At Block F, the coordinator reads the short address of the gatewaydevice from memory.

At Block G, the coordinator sends the short address of the gateway tothe requesting end device, and returns to the idle state at Block A.

At Block H, the coordinator receives a request for an end device addressfrom the gateway device.

At Block I, the coordinator reads from its memory, the (long) and shortMAC addresses of the end device.

At Block J, the coordinator sends an acknowledgement to the gateway, andthen returns to the idle state at Block A.

At Block K, the coordinator receives an issued common operation command.

At Block L, the coordinator performs the required operation, and returnsto the idle state.

FIG. 7F shows a MAC Address Look-UP Table stored in the coordinatordevice of the present invention, supporting the IEEE 802.15.4 networkprotocol, and showing, for each network device, the network devicenumber assigned to the network device, the type of the network device,and the MAC address assigned to the network device.

As shown in FIG. 7G, the firmware architecture employed in theelectronic-ink based display device (e.g. sign) comprises seven C filesorganized as shown. As indicated at Block A in FIG. 7G, theinitialization step is carried out using firmware components BeeAppZin.cand BeeApp.c for configuring the ZigBee wireless network. At Block B,the self-identification information acquisition step is carried outusing firmware components BeeStack.globals.c which enables theelectronic-ink display device (i.e. sign) to identify itself and obtainits parent's MAC address. At Block C, the self-identificationinformation transmission step is carried out using firmware componentsmutil.c. When the electronic-ink sign is in the idle state, the mutil.cprogram is initialized. From this main program, the sign can executeother functions and code depending on the input from its parent node. AtBlock D, the read/write to memory step is carried out using firmwarecomponents common command.c.

Network Router Device of the Present Invention

In FIGS. 8A1 and 8A2, the network router device of the present invention7A is shown comprising: a housing 115 of compact construction, made frommolded plastic or other suitable material; a multi-layer printed circuitboard (PCB) 116 populated with the systems, circuits and devices shownin FIG. 8B; an electrical wall plug 117 integrated with the housing andhaving electrical prongs for plugging into a standard electrical wallsocket; LED indicators 118 electrically connected to the PCB 116, forvisually indicating the status of operation of the network coordinatordevice; and a securing mechanism 119 integrated with the housing, forphysically securing the housing to the electrical wall socket to preventtheft or accidental disconnection during network operation.

In the illustrative embodiments disclosed herein, the router device 7Acan utilize substantially the same plastic housing as the coordinatordevice described in detail above, and also may be implemented usingsubstantially the same hardware components. In some illustrativeembodiments of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 8G through 8H2, theprimary difference between the router and coordinator will resideprimarily in the firmware employed in the devices, and thefunctionalities provided by each such network component of the presentinvention.

However, in other illustrative embodiments of the present invention, therouter device will also include firmware supporting the functions of anetwork coordinator, so that the router device of the present inventionmay serve multiple functions and dynamically switch and reconfigure intoa coordinator device in the event that the originally designatedcoordinator is permanently or temporally disabled. By virtue of thismulti-mode feature of router of the present invention, these is no needto wait for a network user to find a failed network coordinator andreplace it, as one of the multi-mode routers in the network of thepresent invention will automatically reconfigure itself to perform thecoordinator function, virtually in real-time.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the wall-plug type network router device 7A ofFIGS. 8A1 and 8A2 comprises: on its multilayer PCB 116, a system controlmodule 120 including a microprocessor 121 including a position locationcalculation engine 122, flash memory 123 for router and/or multi-mode(router/coordinator) firmware storage 124, program memory 125, GPIOsubmodule 126 connected to an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 127 andpower management module 128; an impedance matching network 129 connectedto a first RF antenna structure (ANT 1) 130 and interfaced with avariable gain power amplifier on the transmit line (Out Tx) and avariable gain low-noise amplifier (LNA) on the receive line (In Rx) 131;LEDs 118 for indicating the status of operation of the GPIO; a GPSmodule 133 interfaced with the GPIO submodule 126 and an impedancematching network 135 connected to a GPS RF in/out antenna structure (ANT2) 135, to aid in node location using a real-time location system(RTLS), employing the GPS module 133, and position location algorithmscheme 122 using RSSI detection/analysis, or other technology; arechargeable battery 136 for supplying continuous power to the device inthe event of a short-term power failure; a switching power supply module137 connected to an electrical wall (120 VAC) socket via the electricalpower plug 117 integrated with the housing 115; a battery backup source138 for maintaining power in the event of short-term power outages andsurges; a voltage regulation module 139 interfaced with (i) the powermanagement module 128 and GPS module 133, and (ii) the rechargeablebattery 136 and switching power supply 137.

In FIG. 8C, an alternative embodiment of the network router of thepresent invention 7B is shown, employing a housing with a standalonemodule form factor, provided with an external wall source 120 VAC-12 VDCpower adapter. As shown the network router module 7B comprises: amulti-layer PCB board 140 within the housing 141, supporting the anASIC-implemented system control module 142 including a power managementmodule 143, a microprocessor 144, flash memory 145 for router andcoordinator firmware storage 146, program memory 147 for storingprograms during run-time, and GPIO submodule 148 connected to an IEEE802.15.4 modem transceiver 149 through system bus 150; an impedancematching network 151 connected to a dipole or other type RF antennastructure (ANT 1) 152 and interfaced with a variable gain poweramplifier (Out Tx) along the transmission line and a variable gainlow-noise amplifier (LNA), (In Rx) 153 along the receiving line; avoltage regulation module 154A interfaced with the power managementmodule 143; and an external power source 154B with a 120 VAC-12 VDCpower adapter integrated therein.

When implementing the above-specified design for the network routermodule 7B of the present invention, the microprocessor, Tx/Rxamplifiers, program memory and flash memory, can all reside on amonolithic system ASIC (SOC), while F-antenna structure 151 may beintegrated into the PCB 140, or be realized as a chip-based antenna todecrease the required footprint for the module.

FIG. 8D shows the network router device of the present invention 7Bhaving an integrated phased-array antenna structure 151, supporting thespatial isolation of multi-regions 155A-155B, utilizing beam steeringprinciples of operation, for illuminating multiple electronic-inkdevices 7A over separate regions 155A-155B. Utilizing its phased-arrayantenna structure 151′, the network router device 7B′ selects thedesired region of operation based on principles which will be describedin detail hereinafter.

The phased-array antenna structure or system employed in the router ofthe present invention is a group of antennas in which the relativephases of the respective signals feeding the antenna structure arevaried so that the effective radiation pattern of the array isreinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in undesireddirections. As shown in FIG. 8D, the network router 7B utilizes thisarray to isolate groups of network devices that are spatially separatedfrom one another, as shown.

In FIG. 8D, there is shown two separated regions 155A-155B that areaddressed separately by the phased-array antenna structure of thepresent invention. Region 1 155A may be selected by using the array toform a beam of radiation in its general direction. Region 2 155B may beselected by sweeping the beam directed at Region 1, into Region 2,thereby temporarily isolating Region 1 from the network and bringingRegion 2 online to the network. Furthermore, in an effort to increasethe integrity of the coexistence between multiple wireless networks,wireless devices not integral to the wireless network of the presentinvention will not be illuminated with radiation. This is achieved bysuppressing the transmission of radiation in the general direction ofsuch wireless devices.

FIG. 8E shows the components of the phased-array antenna structure 151′that is integrated within the housing of the network router device ofthe present invention. As shown, a shielded bus 152 supplies phasedelectrical currents to its plurality of active antenna array elements153A through 153D forming a multi-element (4×4) phase-array. As shown,each antenna element along a common feed line is coupled to a commonsource or load. When driven, the phase-array antenna system 151′produces a directive-type electromagnetic radiation pattern which may bevaried by modifying the source of signal energy presented to eachantenna element. The input to the antenna structure is connected to theinput/output electronics of the router device. The signal transmitted orreceived by the router device may be compensated in the electronics foreach antenna array. For example, the phase of the electrical currentssupplied from the transmitter to each of the sixteen array elements, canbe varied in such a way that a directive radiation pattern (i.e. mainlobe) is formed with a half-power beam-width of 70 degrees. This mainlobe may then be swept from 10 to 160 degrees in the x-direction byvarying the phase of the currents supplied independently to each elementin the antenna array, in a manner known in the art.

FIG. 8F shows a state diagram for the network router device of thepresent invention, depicted in FIGS. 8B and 8E, illustrating the variousstates of operation through which the network router device passes inautomatic response to events occurring on its network, including (i)connect to network state, (ii) an idle state (i.e. receive mode), (iii)a write to memory state, (iv) a read data from state, (v) a read/writeto memory state, and (vi) a read data from memory state, and variousconditions which trigger state transitions.

In general, upon power up, the router begins to search for availablenetworks within its RF range. If a coordinator in its vicinity hasestablished a network, then the router will join or connect to thenetwork. The gateway in the network will then send its address to therouter. The router will use this address to communicate with the hostsystem when necessary. The router now enters an idle state. From here,different states can be activated depending on input from either therouters parent device, or the router's children. In an illustrativeconfiguration of the network of the present invention, each router mayhave up to 20 children. This implies that each router can support 14end-devices (e.g. electronic-ink display devices) and 6 additionalrouters. The child node of each router in the network is considered tobe one layer below the parent node of the router. There is no limit tothe number of layers that can be configured in the network, althoughthere are tradeoffs when having too many network layers. One of thesetradeoffs is network latency between the PC host system and the targetedend-device.

In view of the above overview, it is appropriate to now describe theparticular states of the router device in greater detail below.

As shown in FIG. 8F, the router remains in its connect to network stateA when it is requesting network information, and it transitions to theidle state B when it receives the address of the gateway node. Therouter transitions from its idle state to its read data from memorystate C when receiving a request from a child end device, for itsinternal MAC address. The router transitions back to its idle state Bafter it sends either the internal MAC address, or short address of thegateway, to the child end device. The router transitions from its idlestate B to its data read from memory state D when it receives a requestfrom a node for the short address of a child node. The routertransitions back to its idle node B after it reports the short or longMAC address of the child node, to the requesting node. The routertransitions from its idle state B to its write data to memory state Cwhen it receives new information about the gateway, from its parentnode. The router returns to the idle state B after it sends anacknowledgement to the parent node. The router transitions from its idlestate B to its read/write data in memory state when it receives arequest to send information from its parent node. The router returnsback to its idle state B after the router sends an acknowledgement tothe requesting parent node.

FIG. 8G provides an alternative way of describing the process carriedout by the ZigBee IEEE 802.15.4 firmware contained in the router devicein the network of FIGS. 8A1, 8A2 and 8F.

At Block A in the flow chart of FIG. 8G, the router firmware controlprocess in the router first powers up and initializes its internalsystem.

At Block B, the router requests the MAC address for its parent node.

At Block C, the router remains in a control loop between Blocks B and Cuntil it determines that the MAC address of the parent node has beenreceived, and then proceeds to Block D.

At Block D, the router remains in a control loop between D and E untilit receives the short address of the gateway, and then proceeds to BlockF.

At Block F, the router sends self-identification information to thegateway and then proceeds to Block G.

At Block G, the router waits for incoming instructions (while configuredin its idle state).

At Block H, the router determines whether an address request from achild end device has been received, and if so, then at Block I, it sendsthe internal MAC address, or short address of the gateway device, to thechild end device, and then at Block J, sends an acknowledgment to therequesting node, and returns to the idle state.

At Block K, if the router does not receive the address from the childend device, then the router determines whether a node request for achild's short address has been received, if so, then at Block L, itreports the MAC address (long) and the short address of the childrequesting node, and at Block J, sends an acknowledgment to therequesting node, and returns to the idle state.

At Block M, if the router does not receive the child's short address atBlock K, then the router determines whether a common operation commandhas been issued, if so, then at Blocks N and O, reads or writes data ina register table in memory and sends a self-identifier to the gateway,and then at Block J, sends an acknowledgment to the requesting node, andreturns to the idle state.

At Block P, if the router does not receive a common operation command atBlock M, then the router determines whether a new gateway has been addedto the network, if so, then at Block Q writes the short address of thenew gateway in memory, and at Block J sends an acknowledgment to therequesting node, and returns to the idle state at Block G. If the routerdoes not determine at Block P that a new gateway has been added to thenetwork, then the router directly returns to the idle state.

Multi-Mode Router Device of the Present Invention

FIGS. 8H1 and 8H2 show the state diagram for the multi-mode networkrouter of the present invention 7C. As shown, the multi-mode routerpasses through various states of operation, during its multi-modeoperation, in automatic response to events occurring on its network,namely: a power up and initialization state; request network informationstate; switch to coordinator function/state; search for coordinatorstate; connect to network state; create network (i.e. PAN ID & channel);coordinator state diagram; higher-level coordinator search; hand currentsubnetwork over to coordinator; revert to router function; idle state;read data from memory; read data from memory; write data to memory; andread/write data in memory.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8H1 and 8H2, the router powers up andinitializes during its power up and initialization state A, and thentransitions to its request network information state B, where the routerrequests network information (i.e. searches for a network coordinatorand a network to join). If the router finds network information, then ittransitions to its connect to network state C, and when it receives theaddress of the network gateway, it enters its idle state D. The routertransitions from its idle state D to its read data from memory state Fwhen receiving a request from a child end device, for its internal MACaddress. The router transitions back to its idle state D after it sendseither the internal MAC address, or short address of the gateway, to thechild end device. The router transitions from its idle state D to itsdata read from memory state G when it receives a request from a node forthe short address of a child node. The router transitions back to itsidle state D after it reports the (short or long) MAC address of thechild node, to the requesting node. The router transitions from its idlestate D to its write data to memory state H when it receives newinformation about the gateway, from its parent node. The router returnsto the idle state D after it sends an acknowledgement to the parentnode. The router transitions from its idle state D to its read/writedata in memory state I when it receives a request to send informationfrom its parent node. The router returns back to its idle state D afterthe router sends an acknowledgement to the requesting parent node.

If at the request network information state B, the router cannot find anetwork to join (i.e. network information is unavailable and time-outhas expired), then the router transitions to the switch to coordinatorfunction state J, at which time it transitions to create network state(e.g. PAN ID & channel) K.

When the network has been created (i.e. established), the routertransitions to its coordinator state functions L (illustrated in FIGS.7D and 7E), and transitions to the higher level coordinator search stateM when requested to look for a higher level coordinator. If the routercannot find a higher level coordinator at the higher level coordinatorsearch state M, then the router returns back to the coordinator statefunctions L. If the router does find a higher level coordinator, then ittransitions to the hand current sub-network over to the coordinatorstate N. When the network transfer is complete, then the routertransitions to revert to router function/state O, and then returns tothe request network information state B, as indicated in FIGS. 8H1 and8H2.

FIG. 8I illustrates the process carried out by the firmware contained inthe wireless multi-mode network router device of FIGS. 8H1 and 8H2.

At Block A in FIG. 8I, the multi-mode router powers up and initializes.Then at Block B it requests network information for an available networkit may join. At Block C, the router determines whether or not anynetworks are available to join. If there is at least one availablenetwork to join, then it connects to one of the networks at Block D.Then at Block E, the router performs the function of a router asindicated in FIGS. 8F and 8G. At Block F, the router determines whetheror not the network coordinator has been lost (for any reason). Ifcommunication with the network coordinator has not been lost, then therouter returns to its router functions indicated at Block E, and ifcommunication with the network coordinator has been lost, then therouter proceeds to Block G and searches for a network coordinator.

At Block H, the router determines whether or not a network coordinatorhas been found, and if so, then returns to Block B where it resumesrequesting network information associated with the found coordinator.However, if the coordinator has not been found, then the router proceedsto Block I, reconfiguration and switches to its coordinator functions.Then the router, in its coordinator states of operation, proceeds toBlock K and creates a network (e.g. Personal Area Network (PAN) ID,Channel, etc). At Block K, the router performs its coordinator statefunctions indicated in FIGS. 7D and 7E, and then at Block L searches fora higher level coordinator on the network. At Block M, the router thendetermines whether or not a higher level coordinator has been found, andif not, returns to Block K, as shown. However, if the router does find ahigher level coordinator at Block M, then at Block N, the router handsover the current subnetwork under its control to the higher levelcoordinator. After the subnetwork hand-over is completed at Block N,then at Block O the router reverts to its router functionalities, andreturns to Block B and continues requesting network information.

As shown in FIG. 8J, the firmware architecture employed in the routerdevices of described in FIG. 8G or 8I, generally comprises five C filesorganized as shown. As indicated at Block A in FIG. 8F, theinitialization step is carried out using firmware components BeeAppZin.cand BeeApp.c for configuring the ZigBee wireless network. At Block B,the self-identification information acquisition step is carried outusing firmware components BeeStack.globals.c which enables each networkdevice, e.g. electronic-ink display, to identify itself on the networkand obtain its parent's MAC address. At Block C, the self-identificationinformation transmission step is carried out using firmware componentsmutil.c. When the router is in the idle state, the mutil.c program isinitialized. At Block D, the router can read/write to memory usingfirmware components common command.c, and support both its children andparent devices.

Gateway Set-Top Box for Use in the Wireless Communication Network of thePresent Invention

FIG. 9A shows a gateway set-top box for use in the wirelesscommunication network of the present invention, illustrated in FIGS. 1A1through 1C. As shown in FIG. 9A, the gateway set-top box 5A comprises: ahousing 160; a multi-layer PCB 161 populated with the subsystems,circuits and devices represented in FIG. 9B; a power switch 162integrated with the housing; LED indicators 163 integrated with thehousing; (optional) external antennas 164 for communication withwireless nodes in the wireless communication network; and a data andpower connector 165 for connection of data/power cable such as a USBcable.

The function of the gateway set-top box 5A is to provide a link betweenthe host computer 21A, 21B and wireless mesh communication network ofthe present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the gateway box 5Acommunicates with the coordinator 6 to gain access to the variouschildren nodes in the network. Implementation of the gateway set-top boxcan be implemented using substantially the same hardware design as usedfor the router and the coordinator devices of the present invention,described above in great detail. However, in the gateway box of theillustrative embodiment, electrical power can be delivered to the box byway of the USB port on the host computer 21A, 21B. Unlike thecoordinator device, the gateway device may connect/disconnect from thenetwork at will without any disruption to the network. However, when thegateway is down or disconnected from the network, the host systems 21A,21B are incapable of manipulating the network or extracting data fromit.

In FIG. 9B, the gateway set-top box 5A of FIG. 9A is shown comprising:an ASIC-implemented system control module 170 realized on a multi-layerPCB board 161 and including a power management module 171, amicroprocessor 172 with an integrated position calculation engine 173,flash memory 174 for gateway firmware 175 storage, program memory 176for executing programs in run-time, and a GPIO submodule 177 connectedto an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 178; an impedance matching network179 connected to an RF antenna structure (ANT 1) 180 and interfaced witha variable gain power amplifier (Out Tx) and a variable gain low-noiseamplifier (LNA), (In Rx) 181 which are connected to the modemtransceiver 178; a voltage regulation module 182 interfaced with thepower management module 171, and a data transfer module 185 with powersource lines 165, that interconnect with a host system 21A, 21B via adata and power communication interface (USB) 185. The communicationinterface 184 between the host system (data lines) and the ASIC 170 canbe implemented using a SiLabs USB-to-UART chip, or the like.

In general, upon power up, the gateway set-top box 5A begins to searchfor a wireless network. The gateway may join the network through adetected parent device. The parent device can be either a router or thenetwork coordinator. Once the address of the parent has been received,the gateway enters an idle state B. The gateway may move to anotherstate of operation when receiving an input command, by way of either itsUART 184 or its wireless interface (180, 179, 178). FIG. 9C depicts thedifferent states that may be invoked in the gateway, in response toparticular events and conditions, and how the gateway moves from onestate to the next state. After any sequence of states, the gatewayalways returns back to its idle state B, and waits for the next inputcommand.

In FIG. 9D, the state diagram describes in greater detail the particularstates of operation through which the gateway set-top box passes inautomatic response to events occurring on its network, including (i) aconnect to network state, (ii) an idle state (i.e. receive mode), (iii)a COM over UART state, (iv) a transmit state (mode), (v) a broadcast toevery parent node state, (vi) a write to memory state, (vii) a read datafrom memory state, and (viii) a read data from memory state.

As indicated in FIG. 9C, the gateway remains in its connect to networkstate when it is requesting its parent's MAC address, and it transitionsto the idle state B when it receives the address of its parent node. Thegateway transitions from its idle state B to its COM over UART state Cwhen a command over the airway is received by the gateway. The gatewayreturns back to the idle state B after it sends data to its host system.The gateway transitions from idle state to the transmit data state Dwhen a command from the UART is received. The gateway transitions fromits transmit state to its broadcast to every parent state E when itobtains the short address of a specific end device. The gatewaytransitions from the broadcast to very parent state E to its write tomemory state when data is received from its parent node. The gatewaytransitions from its write to memory state F to its idle state after itsends data to its host system. The gateway transitions from its transmitstate D to its read data from memory state G after it broadcasts theshort address of the gateway, wherein the gateway transitions from itsread data from memory state G back to its idle state B after itbroadcasts a short address to every end device in the network. Thegateway transitions from the transmit state D to the read data frommemory state H when a common operation command is issued. The gatewaytransitions from its read data from memory state H to its idle B stateafter its sends data to the corresponding device.

FIG. 9D describes the steps carried out by the firmware control processwithin the gateway set-top box 5A of FIG. 9A.

At Block A in FIG. 9D, the gateway set-top box 5A involves initializingall resources and joining in the wireless network,

At Block B, the firmware control process starts its main thread tomonitor and process data between the host PC and the wireless network.

At Block C, the gateway firmware control process enters its main thread,from which several possible paths can be taken, as shown in FIG. 9D.

At Block D, the firmware control process determines whether the UART 184has received commands from the host PC and also the type of commandreceived. If the UART has not received any command, then the gatewayfirmware control process returns to the main thread at Block C.

If the UART has received commands, then the gateway firmware controlprocess determines whether a scan command has been received, and if so,then at Block E sends the scan response to the host PC, at Block Fbroadcasts the scan commands, and then returns to the main thread atBlock C.

If a scan command has not been received, then at Block H the gatewayfirmware control process determines whether a read command has beenreceived, and if so, then at Block I sends the read response to the hostPC, at Block J sends the read command to the destination node, andreturns to the main thread at Block C.

If a read command is not received at Block H, then at Block K, thegateway firmware control process determines whether a write command hasbeen received, and if so, then at Block L sends the write response tothe host PC, at Block M writes data to the destination node, and returnsto the main thread at Block C.

If the gateway firmware control process determines that a write commandhas not been received at Block K, then at Block N determines whether aupdate command has been received, and if so, then at Block O sends thewrite response to the host PC, at Block P sends the update command tothe destination node, and returns to the main thread.

If the gateway firmware control process determines that an updatecommand has not been received at Block N, then the firmware controlprocess returns to the main thread at Block C.

In the event that at Block Q, the gateway firmware control processdetermines that the gateway has not received (wirelessly) data from thewireless mesh network, then the firmware control process returns to themain thread at Block C.

In the event that at Block Q the gateway firmware control process doesreceive (wirelessly) data from the wireless mesh network, then thegateway firmware control process determines at Block R whether nodeinformation has been received, and if so, at Block S transfers the nodeinformation into the host PC, and returns to the main thread.

In the event that at Block R the gateway firmware control process doesnot receive a node information request, then at Block T, the gatewayfirmware control process determines whether read data has been received,and if so, then at Block U transfers the read info into the host PC, andreturns to the main thread at Block C.

In the event that at Block T the gateway firmware control process doesnot receive a read data command, then at Block V, the gateway firmwarecontrol process determines whether a write data has been received, andif so, then at Block W writes a response into the host PC, and returnsto the main thread.

In the event that at Block V the gateway firmware control process doesnot receive a write command, then at Block X, the gateway firmwarecontrol process determines whether an update command has been received,and if so, then at Block Y transfers the update response into the hostPC, and returns to the main thread.

As shown in FIG. 9E, the firmware architecture employed in the gatewayset-top box device comprises six C files organized as shown. Asindicated at Block A in FIG. 9E, the initialization step is carried outusing firmware components BeeAppZin.c and BeeApp.c for configuring thewireless mesh network. At Block B, the self-identification informationacquisition step is carried out using firmware componentsBeeStack.globals.c which enables the gateway box to identify itself andobtain its parent's MAC address. At Block C, the self-identificationinformation transmission step is carried out using firmware componentsmutil.c. When the gateway box is in the idle state, the mutil.c programis initialized, and the gateway box can support communication betweenboth the UART and the wireless interface. At Block D, the gateway boxcan send wireless commands using firmware component mutil.c. At Block E,the gateway box 5A can receive UART commands using firmware componentmuart.c.

Network Protocol Translation (NPT) Based Gateway Device for Use in aWireless Communication Network of the Present Invention

FIGS. 9F1 and 9F2 show a network protocol translation (NPT) basedgateway device 5A for use in a wireless communication network of thepresent invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A1 through 1C.

As shown in FIGS. 9F1 and 9F2, the NPT-based gateway device 5Bcomprises: a housing 186; a multi-layer PCB 87 supporting thesubsystems, circuits and devices illustrated in FIG. 9G; electricalpower plug prongs 188 integrated with the housing; an Ethernet connectorjack 189 integrated with the housing, for connecting an Ethernet cablethereto; LED indicators 191 integrated with the housing; (optional)external antennas 192 integrated with the housing; and a securingmechanism 193 integrated with the housing, for physically securing thehousing to an electrical wall socket, or other fixture, to prevent theftor unauthorized movement.

In FIG. 9G, the NPT-based gateway device 5B of FIGS. 9F1 and 9F2, isshown comprising: (i) an ASIC-implemented system control module 195,including a power management module 196, a microprocessor 197, flashmemory 198 for gateway firmware 199 storage, program memory 200 forexecuting firmware programs during run-time, and a GPIO submodule 201connected to an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 202, with all componentsbeing interfaced by way of a system bus 203 (ii) an impedance matchingnetwork 204 connected to an RF antenna structure (ANT) 205 andinterfaced with a variable gain power amplifier (Out Tx) and a variablegain low-noise amplifier (LNA), (In Rx) 206 which is interfaced to theIEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 202; (iii) a voltage regulation module207 interfaced with the power management module 196 and to a powersource wall plug module 208 having an AC/DC converter 209; and (iv) anEthernet chipset 210 interfaced with the system ASIC 195 and an Ethernetconnector 189 integrated with the housing, and including a flash memory211 for storing firmware for the gateway device and its networktranslation services, a microcontroller 212 for executing firmwareprograms and instructions, and a GP/IO 213 for supporting I/O services.

While not shown in a state diagram, the NPT-based gateway device 5B willhave states of operation that are similar to the gateway set-top box 5Bdescribed above. Also, the NPT-based gateway device 5B will have thesame firmware components as used in the gateway set-top box describedabove, plus firmware components that support network protocoltranslation e.g. from ZigBee to Ethernet communication protocols, andfrom Ethernet to ZigBee communication protocols.

Managing Electronic-Ink Based Display Devices on Wireless CommunicationNetworks through Gateway Devices Using Databases and Web-Based GUIsSupported on a PC-Level Host Systems

Having described the architecture, topology and implementation of thewireless electronic-ink display device communication network of thepresent invention, it is appropriate at this juncture to describedifferent ways in which the wireless communication network of thepresent invention can be easily and efficiently managed from both localand remote locations.

In FIG. 10A, there is shown an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI)screen which could be generated by the electronic-ink display messagingmanagement application 700 installed on the network management computersystems 21A and 21B, described above, and/or remote client computingmachines having access to the LAN of these network management systems.As shown, this GUI, and its application and supporting database, aredesigned to allow a network administrator (or others) to remotelymanage, via a Web browser, (i) the messaging programmed onto eachdisplay electronic-ink display device in the wireless network, alongwith its sign/display identification number and description, as well as(ii) the states of the network map, the open communication port, theclose/end communication port, and the network database, supporting oneor more wireless communication networks.

In FIG. 10B, there is shown an exemplary GUI screen, also generated bythe management application 700 installed on the network managementcomputer systems 21A and 21B, and/or remote client computing machineshaving access to the LAN of these network management systems. As shown,this GUI, and its application and supporting database, are designed toallow a network administrator to remotely manage, via a Web browser, thetables in the wireless network database, holding information on eachnetwork device, including, device number on the network (e.g.0000002030), device type (e.g. coordinator, gateway, router, end device,etc.), MAC address assigned to device (e.g. 683AB9C90011), descriptionof device/association with other devices, currently programmed messagefor display on the device.

In FIG. 10C, there is shown another exemplary GUI screen generated bythe management application 700, and showing a network map representationof an exemplary wireless network configuration according to the presentinvention, allowing information maintained on each node in the network(e.g. device number, MAC address, node description, current messagedisplay) to be displayed in expanded form when the network administratorselects the network node to be detailed.

Referring to FIG. 10A, the network-management GUI shown therein providesa network administrator or manager with a very easy way to access andmanage a wireless mesh communication network, of the kind illustrated inFIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C. Underlying the network management GUI, there isprovided a library of API's, packaged into a software development kit(SDK), for creating custom applications that run on the host systemshown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C.

In an illustrative embodiment, the GUI-based network managementinterface application of the present invention comprises a library ofstandard Microsoft Windows DLL files, for integration into the hostPC-level computing systems 21A, 21B, 21C, performed by the end-user orsystems integrator. This library provides for a flexible developmentenvironment so that an end-user can have a fully-customized solutionwithout becoming involved with the underlying technical details of thewireless communication network. The SDK also contains a reference GUIemploying a simple database for managing information relating to apopulation of electronic-ink display devices (e.g. e-signs). In thesimplest application, the GUI and its supporting interface library willprovide an end-user with access to the network for purposes of locating,updating and managing electronic-ink display devices, electronic-inkdisplay sensors, and other end-devices on the network. In somelow-volume installations, the network GUI can be extended sufficientlyto manage the network itself, including its routers, coordinator(s),gateways, NPT modules, network management modules, and the like.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, thenetwork-management GUI is realized as a shell wrapped around a set ofAPIs that provides access to the network via the gateway 5A, in FIGS.1A, 1B and 1C. Communication between the host computing systems 21A,21B, 21C and the network gateway 5A is established by opening thecorresponding COM port, indicated on the network GUI shown in FIG. 10A.A user may select any multiplicity of electronic-ink display devices(i.e. e-displays), and then write a value (or set of values) to theirdisplay(s) by pressing the Send Data button. Once the Send Data buttonhas been activated on the GUI, the host computing system 21A, 21B, or21C calls the appropriate library functions to access the gateway. Inturn, the gateway is instructed as to which e-displays should beaddressed, along with the corresponding value(s) and/or messages(however complex) to be written to the e-display. Each e-display deviceaddressed returns an acknowledgment of receipt of the message. Thisstatus is confirmed on the network management GUI at completion of thee-display update, or after a timeout period. The GUI can also poll eache-display for its current display value, and for the current displayvalue to be written to memory on the host system, and then displayed onthe GUI.

In an alternative embodiment, application server software (i.e.middleware) can be installed on the application server 22A, 22B, fordirectly connecting a wireless communication network of the presentinvention to a back-end database system (RDBMS). With this alternativearrangement, each application server 22A, 22B and its RDBMS can supporta greater set of network management services for a large class ofWeb-based end-users charged with responsibility of managing e-displaydevices, e-display sensors, and other end-devices on the wirelesscommunication network of the present invention.

Regardless of the arrangement employed, such network managementfunctionalities will provide a user-friendly management console todeploy and manage wireless communication networks of the presentinvention. To facilitate the configuration of such wireless networks, anetwork management suite will be provided, consisting of tools forsystem integrators and operators to configure, deploy and manage one ormore wireless communication networks, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B and1C. The network management suite will enable users to upload settings,implement business rules, and ensure a seamless exchange of informationbetween the wireless networks and the relevant back-office managementsystem(s). The network management suite can be developed to work on anycomputer running any type of operating system (OS), including WindowsXPor Vista, Apple OSX, and Linux, for example. A single version of themanagement suite software can be used to manage several wirelesscommunication networks, for example, over an Internet connection,dial-up or wireless connection (Wi-Fi, GPRS, 3G, CDMA, etc.), asdescribed hereinabove. The management suite will support networkdeployment, configuration and maintenance, and enable business rules andprovides a graphical display of the locations of all components in anyparticular wireless network. The network management suite will typicallyinclude XML, ODBC, SOAP and other industry standard interfaces, as wellas contain a toolbox to create custom components and plug-ins.

At this juncture, it is appropriate to describe the functionality of theGUI as well as how data packet communication occurs between the hostsystem supporting the GUI, and the gateway to the wireless communicationnetwork to be managed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 10B, there is shown a GUI displaying a number ofinformation fields associated with an exemplary network database. Oncenetwork device information has been saved in the network database,maintained on the host system or on a database server, as shown in FIGS.1A1 through 1C. The saved information is then forwarded to the network.For example, changing the price value from $8.99 to $5.96 on theT-Shirts row in the network database will result in a change in thedisplay value on the corresponding e-display associated with T-shirts to$5.96. The device type and MAC address for each node of the network isread from the database by the GUI-based host application, displayed onthe database fields represented in the GUI screen of FIG. 10B, and thenwritten to the electronic-ink display signs when the administratorselects the Save & Close button. A user may enter a description for eachdevice on the network that is intuitive, so that instead of looking foran e-display having a MAC address of 33321BD7C465, one would just needto look for T-Shirts.

Referring now to FIG. 10C, there is shown another exemplary GUI fordisplaying the network as a network map. In the illustrative embodiment,each network end-device is mapped onto a tree structure displaying theinterconnection between devices on the network. FIG. 10C shows what sucha network map might look like with four end-devices and two routers onthe network. The Refresh Map button updates the network map to reflectthe current state of the network. Devices that have left or joined thenetwork will be shown automatically in the network map, andautomatically placed in the correct position on the network “tree”structure, in a totally transparent manner to both the networkadministrator and users of the network.

As shown in FIG. 10C, upon moving the mouse pointer over each circle onthe network map automatically opens a popup dialog box displayingnetwork information specific to each node in the network. In the exampleof FIG. 10C, end-device 2 (ED2) has been selected by the mouse pointer.The displayed information provides quick feedback to the user about theparticular state of the node. In the illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention, a user is able to manipulate information provided inthe popup box and have that information reflected in the network. Forexample, the user can change the description or currently display valuefor device #5 (Coffee). Other implementations could incorporate passwordauthentication for secure installations.

In FIGS. 10D through 10H, four flowcharts are shown describing four APIsused in the wireless network of the present invention. Each flowchartdescribes the process according to which each API functions.

Sending the “Scan Command” to the Gateway Device of a WirelessCommunication Network of the Present Invention

FIG. 10D illustrates the steps carried out when the host computer sendsa “scan command” to a gateway device to a wireless communication networkof the present invention. In general, the scan command is generallyissued once the GUI has been opened to scan the network for availablenodes. It may also be issued at a later time to refresh the GUI.However, this is generally not needed since a node joining the networkonce the GUI has been opened, is automatically detected. This newlydetected/scanned node is added to the main page of the GUI, the networkdatabase, and the network map.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 10D, the first step of executing the“scan command” API function involves the host computer sending the scancommand to the gateway. Then at Block B, the host computer waits for ascan response from the gateway within the timeout period. If a timeoutoccurs, then at Block C the gateway returns a scan result=failure.However, if there is no time out at Block B, then at Block D, the hostcomputer waits for requested node information from the network, for 10seconds. Then, when at Block E, the host computer receives the returnedscan result, it determines that the scan result=success, and updates thenode information database with the scan result data. Thereafter, thehost computer automatically updates the network map GUI with thenewly-scanned network node information.

Sending the “Read Command” to the Gateway Device of a WirelessCommunication Network of the Present Invention

FIG. 10E illustrates the steps carried out when the host computer sendsa “read command” to a gateway device to a wireless communication networkof the present invention. In general, this API function is instantiatedanytime a user at the host system needs to retrieve something frommemory stored in a device on the wireless network of the presentinvention.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 10E, the first step of executing theread command API function involves the host computer sending the readcommand to the gateway. Then at Block B, the host computer waits for aread response from the gateway, within the timeout period. If a timeoutoccurs, then at Block E the gateway returns a read result=failure.However, if there is no time out at Block B, then at Block C, the hostcomputer waits for requested read data from the network (e.g. for 10seconds). Then, when at Block D, the host computer receives the returnedread data result, it determines that the read result=success.

Sending the “Write Command” API Function to the Gateway Device of aWireless Communication Network of the Present Invention

FIG. 10F illustrates the steps carried out when the host computer sendsa “write command” to a gateway device on a wireless communicationnetwork of the present invention. In general, this function is usedanytime information needs to be written from the host system to memoryin any particular device on the wireless network of the presentinvention.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 10F, the first step of executing thewrite command API function involves the host computer sending the writecommand to the gateway. Then at Block B, the host computer waits for awrite response from the gateway, within the timeout period. If a timeoutoccurs, then at Block E the gateway returns a write result=failure.However, if there is no time out at Block B, then at Block C, the hostcomputer waits for the write result from the network (e.g. for 10seconds). Then, when at Block D, the host computer receives the returnedwrite data result, it determines that the write result=success.

Sending the “Update Command” API Function to the Gateway Device

FIG. 10G illustrates the steps carried out when the host computer systemsends an “update command” to a gateway device to a wirelesscommunication network of the present invention. In general, this commandis used whenever an electronic-ink display device (e.g. e-display) needsto be updated on the network. This API function utilizes a timeoutfunction to monitor the success of the e-display update. If thee-display returns an acknowledgment that the message was received withinthe timeout period, then the GUI displays that the action was a success.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 10G, the first step of executing theupdate command API function involves the host computer sending theupdate command to the gateway. Then at Block B, the host computer waitsfor an update response from the gateway, within the timeout period. If atimeout occurs, then at Block E the gateway returns an updateresult=failure. However, if there is no time out at Block B, then atBlock C, the host computer waits for the update result from the network(e.g. for 10 seconds). Then, when at Block D, the host computer receivesthe returned update result, it determines that the updateresult=success.

Running the GUI-Based Network Management Application on the Host SystemInterfaced With the Gateway of the Wireless Network of the PresentInvention

FIG. 10H illustrates the steps carried out when the GUI-based networkmanagement application of the present invention is run on the hostsystem 21A, 21B interfaced with a gateway device 5 to the wirelesscommunication network 9 of the present invention. In the illustrativeembodiment, the GUI-based network management application supports anumber of basic network functions, including: (i) sending the scancommand to the gateway device, executing the scan command, collectingnode information, updating the network device list, and showing the meshnetwork map; (ii) sending the read commands to end devices from whichdata is to be read; (iii); sending write commands to end devices intowhich data is to be written; and (iv) sending update commands to enddevices to be updated.

Referring now to FIG. 10H, the process of running the GUI-based networkmanagement application of the present invention will be described ingreater detail. Notably, the network management application incorporatesthe four API functions illustrated in FIGS. 10D through 10G, and worksin conjunction with the gateway process described in FIG. 9D.

As indicated at Block A in FIG. 10H, the first step of the processinvolves running the GUI-based network management application on thehost computer system. Then at Block B, the host computer sends a scancommand to the gateway and waits 10 seconds. At Block C, the hostcomputer checks the scanning results to determine that the returned nodenumber is greater than 0, and if not, then at Block D the host computereither tries again and returns to Block B, or ends at Block E. If atBlock C the host computer determines that the returned node number isgreater than 0, then at Block F, the host computer adds all end devicesinto the network device list, and then at Block G displays the meshnetwork map at the host computer.

At Block H, the user/administrator selects end devices that s/he wantsto update with messages, and at Block I, inputs data into the GUIscreen, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 10A and 10B, and then clicks theUpdate or Enter button on the GUI screen.

At Block I, the user then sends the write command with input data (i.e.new message display to be programmed) to a destination node(s), and ifthe write command is not successful at Block L, then the host computerwill try again at Block K, up to three times. If the host computer isnot successful after three times, then it proceeds to Block P todetermine whether there are any end nodes left for processing. Whenthere are no more nodes left for processing, then the updated results(i.e. successful writing into the memory of network nodes, and updatingof the displays thereon) is displayed on the GUI screen of the hostcomputer, and then the host computer system returns to either Block J orBlock D, as the case may be.

When the write command is successful at Block L, then at Block N thehost computer 21A, 21B will send the update command to the destinationnode (now having the newly written display data in its memory). If theupdate command is not successful at Block N, then the host computer willtry sending the update command to the destination node, up to three moretimes, as indicated at Block O. When the update command is successful atBlock N, the host computer determines at Block P whether or not thereare any more nodes in the network to be processed with write and updatecommands, by the operations indicated at Blocks J through O. When nomore nodes, to which display data has been written, remain for updating,the host computer at Block Q then displays the update results for allnetwork nodes graphically represented on the GUI screen of the hostcomputer, as illustrated in FIG. 10C.

Networked Monitoring and Control Device for Use in a WirelessCommunication Network of the Present Invention

Referring to FIGS. 11A through 11C, a network monitoring and controldevice 8 according to the present invention is shown for use in awireless communication network as illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 1A1through 1C.

As shown in FIG. 11A, networked monitoring and control device 8comprises: a compact housing 220 for mounting on a wall or othersurface, or hand-supportable mobile use; a multi-layer PCB 221 populatedwith the subsystems, circuits and devices illustrated in FIG. 11B; anelectrical power connector 222 integrated with the housing for supplyingelectrical power to the device; a touch-screen LCD (or electronic-ink)display panel 223 integrated with the housing; a plurality ofhard/soft-type key inputs 224; a magnetic-stripe reader 225 integratedinto the housing, for reading magnetic-stripe cards 226 with networkaccess security codes and electronic-ink display labels integratedtherein, as taught in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/154,427,incorporated herein by reference; an RFID reader module 228 integratedwithin the housing; and one or more RF antennas 229 contained within thehousing, for supporting wireless RF communication with devices in thewireless mesh communication network of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11B, the network monitoring and control device 8comprises: a controller chipset 230 including a microprocessor 231,flash memory 232 for monitoring device firmware 233 storage, programmemory 234, and a GPIO submodule 235 interfaced via a system bus 236; aRF module 237, including an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 238, and animpedance matching network 239 connected to an RF antenna structure 240;an Ethernet interface module 241 having a connector integrated with thehousing; a WIFI module 242 including an antenna structure mounted withinthe housing; a keyboard input device 243 integrated with the housing, orthe touch-screen LCD panel 223: a biometric reader 244 integrated withthe housing, for enabling biometric access to the device; an RFID reader228 integrated with the housing, for reading RFID cards, chips and othercomponents; a magnetic strip-reader 225 integrated with the housing,reading magnetic-stripe cards encoded with digital information;hard/soft keypad input/selection buttons 224 integrated with thehousing, for entering commands and specific kinds of data into thedevice; a display driver chipset 245 interfaced with the touch-screenLCD panel 223, for enabling display of information on the LCD panel andthe entering of information into the device by way of touch-screen datainput operations; and (iii) a power management module 246 for managingpower supplied to the device through a 120 VAC power supply, orappropriate power adapter. As shown in FIG. 11B, each of thesecomponents are populated, supported and/or connected to the multi-layerPCB board 220 contained in the device housing.

FIG. 11C illustrates the steps carried out by the firmware controlprocess within the network monitoring and control device of FIG. 11A.

At Block A in FIG. 11C, the first step of the device involves poweringup and initializing the device.

At Block B, the device enters its idle state and displays network vitalsor a screen player during its idle state of operation.

At Block C, the device determines whether there is any input activity onthe device, and if not, then returns to its idle state at Block B.However, if input activity is detected at Block C, then the devicerequests network access authorization at Block D, and then at Block Edetermines validation of such a request. If network access authorizationis not validated at Block E, then the device returns to its idle stateat Block B. However, if network access authorization is validated atBlock E, then the device at Block F allows the user to utilize thetouch-screen panel and hard/soft-type keys to retrieve and manipulate(i.e. manage) network information, as allowed by the host system,described hereinabove.

At Block G, the device determines whether or not the user has logged outfrom the device, and if not, then returns to Block F allowing networkmanipulation and management operations. When the user logs out from thedevice, the device returns to its idle state at Block B, as indicated inFIG. 11C.

Node Position Tracking Module for Use in a Wireless CommunicationNetwork of the Present Invention

FIGS. 12A1 and 12A illustrate a node position tracking (NPT) module 10for use in a wireless communication network of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1A1 through 1C, the NPT module 10 comprises: a compacthousing 249 for mounting on a wall or other surface; a multi-layer PCB250 disposed in the housing, for populating and/or supportingsubsystems, modules and circuits indicated in FIG. 12B; an electricalpower plug connector 251 integrated with the housing, for supplyelectrical power to the device; LED indicators 252 integrated within thehousing, for indicating the state of operation of the device; anEthernet connector 253 integrated with the housing, for receiving anEthernet cable 254; one or more RF antennas 255 integrated with orcontained in the housing; and a securing mechanism 256 for physicallysecuring the housing to the electrical wall socket or other fixture.

As shown in FIG. 12B, the node position tracking (NPT) module 10 of FIG.10A comprises: a wireless receiver chipset 258 including a first flashmemory 259 for firmware storage 260, a first program memory 261 forstoring firmware instructions, a first microprocessor 262 for executinginstructions in the first program memory, and a first GPIO submodule 263connected to an IEEE 802.15.4 modem transceiver 264 interfaced to asystem bus 265; an impedance matching network 265 connected to a firstRF antenna structure (ANT 1) 255 and interfaced with a variable gainpower amplifier (Out Tx) and a variable gain low-noise amplifier (LNA),(In Rx) 266; LEDs 252 for indicating the status of operation of theGPIO; a position calculation chipset 267 including (i) a second flashmemory 268 for storing position calculation firmware 269, (ii) a secondprogram memory 270 for buffering the position calculation firmwareduring run-time, (iii) a second microprocessor 271 for executinginstructions in the second program memory, during run-time, and (iv) aGPIO module 272 interfaced via a system bus 273; an Ethernet module 274interfaced to the second GPIO module 272 and output Ethernet connector253; and a voltage regulator module 276 connected to a power managementmodule 277; a rechargeable battery 278; and a switching power supply 279as shown, and to connected to an electrical (120 VAC) wall socket 251.

FIG. 12C shows a state diagram for the NPT module 10 of FIGS. 12A1,12A2, and 12B, indicating the various states of operation through whichthe NPT module passes in automatic response to events occurring on itsnetwork, including (i) power up and initialization state, (ii) an idlestate (i.e. receive mode), (iii) a receive and write parent/child tableto memory state, (iv) a calculate position of all nodes and store inmemory state, (v) a read database from memory state, and (vi) acalculate position for requested node state.

As indicated in FIG. 12C, the device transitions from its power up andinitialization state A to its idle state B when the NPT moduleestablishes a network connection. The NPT module transitions from itsidle state B to the receive and write parent/child table to memory stateC when the NPT module receives a parent/child table from the coordinatordevice, and returns to the idle state B after the NPT module sendsacknowledgement to the coordinator. The NPT module transitions from itsidle state to its calculate position for all nodes and store in memorystate D when it receives a request to build a node position database,and returns to its idle state after the building of the database hasbeen completed. The NPT module transitions from its idle state B to itsread database from memory state E when it receives a database requestfrom the host system, and returns to the idle state after it sends thecurrent database to the host system. The NPT module transitions from itsidle state B to its calculate position for requested node state F whenit receives a request for calculation of node position, and returns tothe idle state B after it has updated the database and forwarded the newinformation to the host system.

FIG. 12D describes the steps carried out by the control process in theNP module of FIGS. 12A1 through 12C.

At Block A in FIG. 12D, the control process in the NPT device 10 beginsby powering up, initializing and establishing a network connection.

At Block B, the NPT device attains its idle state, and from there, cantake one of four specified paths through its complex control process:(i) requesting parent-child table from network coordinator during BlocksC through F; (ii) building a node position database during Blocks Gthrough Q; (iii) calculating node positions during Blocks R through Q;and (iv) uploading node position database to host system during Blocks Sthrough U.

Requesting the Parent-Child Table from the Network Coordinator

As indicated at Block C, the control process in the NPT devicedetermines whether the parent/child table has been obtained from thenetwork coordinator, and if yes, then the control process returns to theidle state indicated at Block B. However, if the device has not receivedthe parent/child table from the coordinator, then at Block D it requestthe parent/child table from the coordinator, and continues to dwell atBlock E until the parent/child table is received, and when it isreceived, at Block F the device writes the received parent/child tableto its memory and then returns to its idle state at Block B.

Building a Node Position Database

At Block G, the control process in the NPT device determines whether ithas received a request to build a node position database from the hostsystem, and if not, then it returns to its idle state at Block B.However, if the device does receive a build node position databaserequest, then at Block H it requests, from the wireless coordinator,position measurements for each wireless end node-device in the network,referenced from a pre-specified frame of reference.

At Block I, network coordinator assigns the parent of the ZigBee enddevice, and two other network routers, the tasking of being involved inmaking the position measurement of the ZED.

At Block J, the parent of the wireless end device pings the wireless enddevice, and at Block K, the parent and the other two wireless routersrecord the RSSI measurements received from the wireless end device undermeasurement.

At Block L, all three routers, indicated above, sends their collectedRSSI measurements back to the coordinator for processing.

At Block M, the network coordinator reports this information to the NPTmodule, and at Block N, the NPT module calculates the position of thewireless end device under measurement, and at Block O stores themeasured position of the end device in the node position database. AtBlock P, the NPT module forwards the node position database back to thehost computer and database servers in the network's backend system.

At Block Q, the NPT module determines whether or not the node positiondatabase has been updated for all nodes in the network (i.e. listed onthe network deice list maintained by the coordinator), and if not, thenreturns to Block H, to request that position measurements be taken forany remaining, non-measured wireless end devices (i.e. nodes). When allsuch position measurements have been made, recorded and processedaccording to Blocks H through P, then the NPT module returns to its idlestate at Block B in FIG. 12D.

Calculating Node Positions in the Wireless Network of the PresentInvention

At Block R, the control process in the NPT device/module determineswhether it has received a request to calculate node (end-device)position from the host system. If the NPT device has not received suchrequest from the host system, then it returns to its idle state at BlockB. However, if the device does receive a calculate node positionrequest, then at Block H it requests, from the wireless coordinator,position measurements for each wireless end-node device in the network,referenced from a pre-specified frame of reference.

At Block I, network coordinator assigns the parent of the wirelessend-device, and two other network routers, the tasking of being involvedin making the position measurement of the ZED.

At Block J, the parent of the wireless end device pings the wirelessend-device, and at Block K, the parent and the other two wirelessrouters record the RSSI measurements received from the wirelessend-device under measurement.

At Block L, all three routers, indicated above, sends their collectedRSSI measurements back to the coordinator for processing.

At Block M, the network coordinator reports this collected RSSIinformation to the NPT module, and at Block N, the NPT module uses thiscollected RSSI data to calculate collected RSSI the position of thewireless end-device under measurement. At Block O, the NPT module storesthe calculated/measured position of the end-device, in the node positiondatabase. At Block P, the NPT module forwards the node position databaseback to the host computer and database server in the backend system ofthe wireless network.

At Block Q, the NPT module determines whether or not the node positiondatabase has been updated for all nodes in the network (i.e. listed onthe network device list maintained by the coordinator). If not, then theNPT module returns to Block H, to request that position measurements betaken for any remaining, non-measured wireless end-devices (i.e. nodes).When all such position measurements have been made, recorded andprocessed according to Blocks H through P, then the NPT module returnsto its idle state at Block B in shown FIG. 12D.

Uploading the Node Position Database to the Host System

At Block S, the control process in the NPT device/module determineswhether it has received a request to update the node position databasefrom the host system. If the NPT module has not received such a requestfrom the host system, then it returns to its idle state at Block B.However, if the device does receive a request to update the nodeposition database, then at Block T it reads the node position databasefrom its local memory, and then at Block U, sends it to the host system,and returns to its idle state B at Block B.

Method and Apparatus for Planning and Designing Electronic-Ink DigitalDisplay Communication Networks Of the Present Invention

At this juncture, it will be helpful to describe various kinds ofnetwork planning and design tools that have been developed forpracticing the electronic-ink digital display communication networkingapparatus and methods of the present invention in various deploymentenvironments.

According to another object of the present invention, software tools areprovided to help network planners and designers during the planning anddesign stages of any particular project involving the installation of awireless electronic-ink display device communication network. Suchsoftware tools, preferably installed on a PC-level network designcomputer, will include an environment modeling module that is used to(i) assign RF characteristics to primary boundaries conditions inenvironment (e.g. walls, doors, windows, skylights, stairwell, etc.),(ii) place network components, e.g. coordinator, routers, end-pointdevices, position location computing module, etc, in the environment,and (iii) generate blueprints for network installers to use duringactual network component installation.

According to another object of the present invention, a wireless RFsniffing device is provided for capturing RF spectrum information atsampled points in the modeled environment, and transmitting the data tothe PC-level network design computer, for subsequent use in theselection of network parameters (e.g. frequency of operation; channel;PAN ID; etc.), and optionally configuring the networkcoordinator/controller with configuration parameters.

According to another object of the present invention, a wireless ambientillumination meter is provided for measuring the ambient illumination atlocations in the modeled environment where electronic-ink displays arerequired or desired to meet end-user requirements. Such measurements canbe transmitted to the PC-level network design computer for use inmodeling the environment in which the electronic-ink display devicecommunication network under planning and design is to be installed.

According to another object of the present invention, a hand-held deviceis provided for measuring both RF energy (and ambient) illumination atsampled locations, in wireless communication with the PC-level networkdesign computer. Preferably, such an instrument can be used incooperation with several routers and the node position tracking (NPT)module of the present invention, to ascertain the position of thehand-held device, within the environment, during RF and ambient lightmeasurements and recording Later these network routers can berepositioned to their calculated locations.

In general, at least two-types of such instruments are envisioned: amobile instrument provided with isotropic and directional antennas andelectronic compass, integrated with onboard memory storage that onlytransmits to host PC when RF measurements not being made; andautomatic/self-scanning apparatus (with the above module) with automatedroom scanning and data capture control capabilities, and batch datatransfer when RF measurements have been made.

In connection with such instruments, methods are envisioned for managingthe use of electromagnetic spectrum employed by multiple communicationnetworks operating in overlapping frequency bands. One such method wouldinvolve the steps of: measuring RF energy from devices (e.g. Bluetoothdevices) within multiple communication networks deployed in a givennetworking environment; determining the potential spatially and/ortemporally overlapping frequency bands; and locating network devices ininterference free locations.

According to yet another object of the present invention, asoftware-based tool, also installed on the PC-level network designcomputer, is provided for determining optimum placement of routers,using SNR to distance calculations. To use this tool, a router is firstput into an auxiliary transmit mode. The router is placed at apredetermined distance from the gateway receiver connected to the PCdesign computer. The gateway receives transmitted packets from therouter taking note of the RSSI. Using these measurements in conjunctionwith the known distance between the router and gateway the PC designcomputer performs an analysis for the optimum placement of routers forthe given installation.

Modifications that Readily Come to Mind

It is understood that the electronic-ink based devices and wirelessnetwork communication technologies employed in the systems and networksof the illustrative embodiments may be modified in a variety of wayswhich will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art afterhaving the benefit of the novel teachings disclosed herein. All suchmodifications and variations of the illustrative embodiments thereofshall be deemed to be within the scope and spirit of the presentinvention as defined by the Claims to Invention appended hereto.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A network device for use in a wirelesscommunication network having an initial wireless network coordinator,the network device comprising: a microprocessor having memory comprisingfirmware which, when executed by the microprocessor, configures themicroprocessor to operate the network device as a wireless networkrouter or as a wireless network coordinator; a radio frequency (RF)transceiver communicatively connected to the microprocessor forgenerating signals; an RF antenna connected to the RF transceiver forsending and receiving signals; a global positioning system moduleoperably connected to the microprocessor for locating the networkdevice; and a power management module for providing electrical power tothe microprocessor, the RF transceiver, the RF antenna, and the globalpositioning system module; wherein the microprocessor is initiallyconfigured to operate the network device as a wireless network router;and wherein the microprocessor is configured to, if the initial wirelessnetwork coordinator is disabled, reconfigure the firmware to operate thenetwork device as a wireless network coordinator.
 2. The network deviceof claim 1, wherein the RF antenna is a phased-array RF antennastructure.
 3. The network device of claim 1, comprising an LED indicatorfor indicating the status of operation of the network device.
 4. Thenetwork device of claim 1, comprising: a wall source power adapter; andan electrical wall plug having electrical prongs for plugging into anelectrical wall socket.
 5. The network device of claim 1, comprising abackup battery source for maintaining electrical power to the networkdevice.
 6. A network device for use in a wireless communication networkhaving an initial wireless network coordinator, the network devicecomprising: a microprocessor having memory comprising firmware which,when executed by the microprocessor, configures the microprocessor tooperate the network device as a wireless network router or as a wirelessnetwork coordinator; a radio frequency (RF) transceiver communicativelyconnected to the microprocessor for generating signals; an RF antennaconnected to the RF transceiver for sending and receiving signals; and apower management module for providing electrical power to themicroprocessor, the RF transceiver, and the RF antenna; wherein themicroprocessor is initially configured to operate the network device asa wireless network router; and wherein the microprocessor is configuredto, if the initial wireless network coordinator is disabled, reconfigurethe firmware to operate the network device as a wireless networkcoordinator.
 7. The network device of claim 6, wherein the RF antenna isa phased-array RF antenna structure.
 8. The network device of claim 6,comprising an LED indicator for indicating the status of operation ofthe network device.
 9. The network device of claim 6, comprising a wallsource power adapter.
 10. The network device of claim 6, comprising: awall source power adapter; and an electrical wall plug having electricalprongs for plugging into an electrical wall socket.
 11. A network devicefor use in a wireless communication network having an initial wirelessnetwork coordinator, the network device comprising: a microprocessorhaving memory comprising firmware which, when executed by themicroprocessor, configures the microprocessor to operate the networkdevice as a wireless network router or as a wireless networkcoordinator; and a transceiver communicatively connected to themicroprocessor for generating signals; wherein the microprocessor isinitially configured to operate the network device as a wireless networkrouter; and wherein the microprocessor is configured to, if the initialwireless network coordinator is disabled, reconfigure the firmware tooperate the network device as a wireless network coordinator.
 12. Thenetwork device of claim 11, comprising a phased-array radio frequency(RF) antenna structure; wherein the transceiver is a radio frequency(RF) transceiver.
 13. The network device of claim 11, comprising aglobal positioning system module operably connected to themicroprocessor for locating the network device.
 14. The network deviceof claim 11, comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) having an LEDindicator for indicating the status of operation of the network device.15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the PCB comprises amulti-layer PCB.
 16. The network device of claim 11, comprising a wallsource power adapter.
 17. The network device of claim 11, comprising: awall source power adapter; and an electrical wall plug having electricalprongs for plugging into an electrical wall socket.
 18. The networkdevice of claim 11, comprising a power management module for providingelectrical power to the microprocessor and the transceiver.
 19. Thenetwork device of claim 11, comprising a backup battery source formaintaining electrical power to the network device.
 20. The networkdevice of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication network is apersonal area network (PAN).